E  605 
,M  33 

lsc 

UNC-CH 


K 


Cbe  Librarp 


of  tbf 


Ontoersitp  of  Bottb  Carolina 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


ENDOWED  BY  THE 

DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 

SOCIETIES 


E   605 
.M33 


This  BOOK  may  be  kept  out  TWO  WEEKS 
ONLY,  and  is  subject  to  a  fine  of  FIVE 
CENTS  a  day  thereafter.  ft-wautSmn  ouh  <m 
ttiL.  duy  indicated  below: 


22*ug 


'56 


5<i 


19S1 


MAY  2  7 
JEB  2  2 


:  •  " 


.0 


'VQ1 

1997 
!T  0  8 1997 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/lifegleaningsOOmaco 


./I  33 
LIFE  GLEANINGS 


Compiled  by 


T.J 


RICHMOND,  VA. 


1913 

W.  H.  ADAMS,  Publisher 

Richmond,  Virginia 


PREFACE 


My  Life's  Gleanings  is  not  intended  to  be  a  technical 
history  cronologically  arranged,  but  a  reproduction  of 
events  that  my  memory  recalls.  By  retrospecting  to  oc- 
curances  that  happened  during  my  journey  of  life.  To 
those  who  were  contemporaneous  with  the  gleanings  al- 
luded to  they  will  recognize  them.  To  the  younger  reader 
he  will  glean  what  happened  in  the  past.  The  incident  and 
anecdote  is  founded  on  facts.  I  launch  the  book  on 
the  highway  of  public  approval,  hoping  the  reader  will 
not  be  disappointed.  THE  AUTHOR. 


500010 


MY  LIFE'S  GLEANINGS 

COMPILED   BY  T.  J.   MACON 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  author  of  these  pages  first  saw  the  light  of  day  at 
the  family  home  of  his  father,  Mr.  Miles  Cary  Macon, 
called  "Fairfield,"  situated  on  the  banks  of  that  historic 
river,  the  "Chicahominy,"  in  the  good  old  County  of  Han- 
over, in  Virginia.  My  grandfather,  Colonel  William  Hart- 
well  Macon,  started  each  of  his  sons  on  the  voyage  of 
life  with  a  farm,  and  the  above  was  allotted  to  my  respected 
parent.  Belonging  to  the  place,  about  one  or  two  miles 
from  the  dwelling,  was  a  grist  mill  known  as  ' '  Mekenses, ' ' 
and  how  the  name  of  "Macon"  could  have  been  corrupted 
to  "Mekenses,"  is  truly  unaccountable,  yet  such  as  the 
case.  The  City  of  Richmond  was  distant  about  eight  miles 
to  the  South.  This  old  homestead  passed  out  of  the  Macon 
family  possession  about  seventy  years  ago,  and  a  Mr.  Over- 
ton succeeded  my  father  in  the  ownership  of  "Fairfield" 
and  the  mill.  Later  a  Doctor  Gaines  purchased  it.  My 
highly  respected  parents  were  the  fortunate  possessors  of 
a  large  and  flourishing  family  of  ten  children,  all  of  whom 
were  born  at  "Fairfield." 

The  Macon  manor  house  was  situated  just  on  the  edge 
of  the  famous  trucking  section  of  Hanover  County,  which 
agricultural  characteristic  gave  its  soil  an  extensive  repu- 
tation for  the  production  of  the  celebrated  and  highly- 
prized  melons  and  sweet  potatoes  of  Hanover,  known  to 


6 

Eastern  Virginia  for  their  toothsomness  and  great  size. 
This  fine  old  plantation  was  surrounded  by  country  estates 
belonging  to  Virginia  families,  who  were  very  sociable, 
cultured  and  agreeable  people.  My  father  and  mother 
were  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  that  old-time 
genial  country  hospitality,  which  was  never  found  any- 
where in  this  country  more  cordial,  nor  probably  even 
equal,  to  it.  It  afforded  them  infinite  pleasure  to  visit  and 
to  receive  the  calls  of  their  neighbors.  It  was  then  the 
invariable  custom,  when  guests  were  entertained,  for  the 
host  to  set  out  refreshments,  always  the  best  the  larder 
afforded,  and  to  insist  upon  a  liberal  partaking  of  it,  for 
a  refusal  of  the  good  cheer  *vas  indeed  a  rare  thing,  and 
it  was  not  considered  polite  to  decline  joining  in  wishing 
good  health  and  prosperity  to  your  friends  and  neighbors, 
always  of  course  in  moderate  bumpers,  not  in  excess, 
and  then  the  viands  bountifully  spread  out  were  truly 
tempting,  real  old  Virginia  style  of  cooking,  such  as  beaten 
biscuits  that  would  almost  melt  in  one's  mouth,  and  other 
dishes  almost  too  numerous  to  mention,  and  then  such  a 
hearty  welcome  accompanied  the  feast  and  "flow  of  soul," 
and  when  the  parting  came  there  was  always  an  appealing 
invitation  for  a  "speedy  coming  again" — a  wish  for  an- 
other visit. 

Now  there  was  no  sham-pretence  in  these  old  Virginia 
manners,  but  genuine  heartfelt  hospitality,  which  sprang 
from  kind  hearts.  A  striking  habit  or  custom  at  that 
happy  period  in  the  "Old  Dominion"  life  in  the  country 
was  the  intrusting  of  the  white  children  of  the  family  to 
the  care  of  a  good  old  colored  nurse,  or  "Mammy,"  as 
they  were  affectionately  called  by  them;  their  mothers 
turned  the  children  over  to  their  watchful  supervision 
and  they  were  truly  faithful  and  proud  of  their  control 


7 

of  the  little  young  masters  and  mistresses,  thus  reliev- 
ing their  "old  mistress"  of  all  care  in  rearing  them 
"Well  do  I  remember  my  "old  Mammy,"  whose  kindness 
and  affectionate  treatment,  not  only  won  my  heart,  but  my 
prompt  obedience  to  her  commands  and  my  cheerful  recog- 
nition of  the  authority  delegated  her  by  my  fond  mother. 
I  was  the  youngest  of  the  family,  and  as  time  was  welding 
each  link  in  the  chain  of  my  life,  it  was  passing  like,  as 
in  all  families  at  that  period,  situated  as  my  parents  were, 
smoothly  and  unruffled  by  excitement  or  troubles  abroad. 
My  mother  owned  a  number  of  slaves,  or  servants,  as  Vir- 
ginians generally  termed  them,  whom  she  treated  with 
kindness,  and  when  sick  she  nursed  them  with  the  skill 
and  tender  consideration  accorded  members  of  her  own 
family,  and  in  return  they  looked  up  to,  and  respected, 
her ;  indeed  revered  ' '  Old  Missus, ' '  as  they  often  called  her. 

CHAPTER  II. 

At  the  time  I  am  writing  about,  the  life  of  the  Virginia 
farmer  was  one  to  be  much  desired,  for  he  was  a  baron 
in  his  realm,  was  lord  of  all  he  surveyed,  and  yielded  no 
obeisance  to  any  one,  but  to  his  Maker  and  his  country. 
The  dark  shadows  of  coming  dire  events  had  not  then  cast 
their  war-like  omens  ahead.  The  question  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise,  the  admission  of  Kansas  into  the  sisterhood 
of  the  States  under  the  Lecompton  Convention,  the  decision 
in  the  Dred  Scott  ease,  the  political  issues  and  measures 
which  were  the  precursors  of  the  great  war  between  the 
States  had  not  yet  reached  Congress.  Everything  that 
could  render  life  pleasant  was  vouchsafed  the  country 
gentleman  and  planter,  and  his  family  about  three-quarters 
of  a  century  ago. 


8 

What  was  to  happen  in  the  near  future  no  one  at  this 
early  period  could  Cassandra-like  predict,  and  yet  there 
was  in  the  political  horizon  a  small  pillar  of  portentous 
appearance,  which  was  destined  to  cover  the  whole  heavens 
with  gloom  and  bring  death  to  thousands  of  peaceful  citi- 
zens in  this  country,  through  the  clash  of  arms  and  fratri- 
cidal strife  in  which  brothers  were  arrayed  against  broth- 
ers, and  fathers  against  sons. 

My  father  was  an  old  line  Whig  and  believed  in  the 
theory  of  government  advocated  by  Alexander  Hamilton, 
yet  he  recognized  the  antonomy  of  the  States  and  approved 
some  of  the  tenets  of  Mr.  Thomas  Jefferson,  but  did  not 
agree  with  him  generally,  being  in  favor  of  a  strong  cen- 
tral government  at  Washington,  though  disagreeing  with 
the  extremists  of  both  sections. 

Being  a  close  student  of  the  political  history  of  our  coun- 
try he  subscribed  to,  and  carefully  read  every  page  of,  the 
National  Intelligencer,  owned  and  published  by  the  Seaton 
brothers,  which  was  the  best  exponent  of  the  legislation 
of  the  time  that  has  ever  been  issued ;  the  editorials  were 
clear  and  forcible  and  the  reports  of  the  debates  in  Con- 
gress were  correct  and  complete.  The  political  disputes 
on  the  floor  of  Congress  began  to  be  warm,  and  indeed  acri- 
monious between  the  Northern  and  Southern  members, 
which  brought  out  the  great  efforts  for  peace  of  Henry 
Clay,  of  Kentucky,  and  prevented  at  that  time  a  clash  of 
arms  between  the  sections.  The  admission  of  Kansas  into 
the  Union  under  the  Lecompton  Convention  was  but  a  link 
in  the  chain  of  events  leading  to  the  great  Civil  War. 
Well  do  I  recall  my  respected  parent's  remark  that  the 
trend  of  the  speeches  by  the  Free-Soil,  or  Abolition,  party 
in  the  North  and  those  of  the  Seccessionists  of  the  South, 
would  certainly  bring  about  a  disruption  of  the  United 


9 
States  if  persisted  in ;  and  alas !  his  children  lived  to  see 
his  remark  verified  in  the  year  1861. 

Our  family  moved  from  old  Fairfield  to  Magnolia  farm, 
only  about  two  miles  north  of  Richmond,  which  place 
was  then  owned  by  the  Nortons,  and  it  was  a  quiet,  pleas- 
ant home  ''far  away  from  the  madding  crowd"  in  a  so- 
ciable and  agreeable  neighborhood;  it  is  at  the  present 
time  owned  by  the  "Hartshorne"  Colored  Female  Insti- 
tute and  now  is  included  within  the  corporate  limits  of 
the  city  of  Richmond,  Va.  How  rapidly  the  wheel  of  time 
brings  changes  in  our  surroundings.  My  father's  chil- 
dren are  advancing  in  years,  the  older  ones  are  sent  off  to 
boarding  schools,  my  oldest  brother  had  just  returned  from 
Philadelphia,  where  he  had  attended  the  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal College  as  an  office  student  of  Dr.  Thomas  C.  Mutter, 
the  president  of  the  college,  who  was  first  cousin  of  my 
mother — her  maiden  name  was  Frances  Mutter. 

From  Magnolia  we  moved  to  "Rose  Cottage,"  owned 
by  a  Mr.  Richardson,  the  object  in  this  move  being  to  be 
near  "Washington  and  Henry"  Academy,  a  boarding  and 
day  school  carried  on  by  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dunton ;  she  was  in 
charge  of  the  small  boys  and  the  girls,  while  her  husband 
taught  the  large  boys.  I  was  in  Mrs.  Dunton 's  department, 
being  but  a  small  chap,  and  as  to  whether  I  learned  any- 
thing at  this  time  it  is  a  matter  of  considerable  doubt.  My 
mother  furnished  six  pupils  to  this  institution.  The  prin- 
cipals would  come  over  to  "Rose  Cottage"  two  or  three 
times  per  month,  bringing  their  boarders  with  them,  which 
visits  they  appeared  to  enjoy  greatly  as  a  good  supper, 
with  a  large  and  shady  yard  to  play  in,  was  certainly  well 
calculated  to  afford  mirth  and  pleasure  to  both  old  and 
young.  A  Mr.  Osborne,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  boarded 
at  the  academy,  being  a  unique  character  and  one  of  the 


10 
best  men  to  be  found  anywhere;  he  formed  the  plan  of 
teaching  the  scholars,  young  and  old,  the  catechism  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  all  those  who  committed  it  to 
memory  received  a  nice  book  as  a  prize.  The  climax  of  the 
scheme  was  an  offer  of  a  grand  prize  to  any  scholar  that 
would  repeat  the  whole  of  it  without  a  hitch  or  halt.  The 
children  were  thoroughly  inoculated  with  Presbyterianism. 
The  final  trial  of  reciting,  or  memorizing,  the  catechism 
came  off  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Thomas  Gardner.  The 
contest  was  one  long  to  be  remembered,  a  Miss  Fannie  Shel- 
ton  scoring  the  first  honor,  and  Miss  Newell  Gardner  the 
second.  The  supper  provided  for  this  happy  occasion  was 
a  first  class  one  in  every  respect.  The  best  that  a  well- 
stocked  farm  house  could  produce,  both  in  substantials  and 
nicknacks,  such  for  instance,  as  broiled  chicken,  roast 
lamb  and  barbecued  pig,  with  dessert  of  ice  cream,  yellow 
cake  and  pies  in  abundance ;  it  was  in  short  one  of  the  finest 
"lay-outs"  that  I  ever  saw,  and  being  an  appreciative 
youngster  I  did  ample  justice  to  it  indeed,  and  fairly  re- 
velled in  the  many  good  eatables  so  generously  spread  be- 
fore us,  and  to  this  day  I  remember  it  with  pleasure.  ' '  Rose 
Cottage"  was  truly  a  delightful  home.  The  never-failing 
wheel  of  time  was  turning  fast,  and  the  water  of  life  that 
once  passed  over  it  will  never  again  turn  it.  We  were  all 
growing  fast  as  we  advanced  in  years.  At  this  time  my 
father  bought  a  place  on  Nine  Mile  Road,  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  from  the  city,  it  was  named  "Auburn,"  and  to 
it  we  moved  bag  and  baggage. 

Just  as  with  "Fairfield"  and  Magnolia,"  we  found  hos- 
pitable neighbors,  and  genial  intercourse  was  conspicuous. 
Among  them  were  Colonel  Sherwin  McRae  and  family,  a 
Mrs.  Gibson,  Mr.  Tinsley  Johnson,  Mr.  Gait  Johnson,  and 
many  other  well  known  families,  nearly  all  of  whom  have 


11 

now  moved  away  or  have  passed  to  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  Mr.  William  Gait  Johnson  lived  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  us,  and  there  was  a  considerable  intercourse 
between  the  two  families.  "Gait,"  as  he  was  called,  was 
a  character  of  renown  and  possessed  of  much  personality ; 
one  of  his  traits  was  never  to  give  a  word  its  correct  pro- 
nunciation and  yet  he  thought  he  was  right  always.  I  was 
visiting  there  one  evening,  and  as  supper  was  placed  on 
the  table  the  bell  rang ;  Gait  arose  from  his  seat  and  in  a 
clear  voice  said  "the  bell  has  pronounced  supper  ready, 
let 's  go. ' '  His  wife,  who  was  a  cultivated  lady,  attempted 
to  correct  him  by  saying  "announce,  William,"  but  she 
eould  never  get  him  to  change  his  mode  of  speech.  Another 
of  his  peculiarities  was  his  lack  of  fondness  of  church-go- 
ing. Mrs.  Johnson,  his  wife,  was  a  regular  attendant  to  the 
church  and  naturally  desired  her  husband  to  accompany 
her,  a  most  reasonable  wish,  but  Gait  made  several  excuses 
for  not  complying,  and  finally  he  urged  as  a  last  resort 
that  he  could  not  sit  in  a  pew  unless  he  could  whittle  a 
stick,  and  could  not  collect  his  thoughts  sufficiently  to  lis- 
ten to  the  sermon;  so  she  told  him  that  should  not  be  a 
good  excuse,  and  that  he  could  take  a  stick  along  and 
trim  it  as  much  as  he  chose,  and  he  consented  to  go  with 
her,  but  did  not  receive  much  benefit  from  the  sermon. 

My  mother  determined  to  send  me  to  live  with  my  eldest 
brother,  Doctor  William  H.  Macon,  who  had  recently  mar- 
ried Miss  Nora  C.  Braxton,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Carter 
Braxton,  of  "Ingleside, "  Hanover  County,  the  owner  of 
the  celebrated  plantation  "New  Castle,"  situated  on  the 
Pamunkey  River.  The  name  of  by  brother's  home  was 
"Woodland,"  about  three  miles  below  the  well-known 
tavern  at  Old  Church.  The  reason  of  my  being  sent  to  live 
with  him  was  to  be  convenient  to  enter  the  school  kept 


12 
by  a  Count  Larry,  one  of  the  best  teachers  of  his  day  and 
time.  The  school  house  was  distant  about  three  miles  from 
my  brother's  place,  and  not  too  far  away  for  a  little  boy 
to  walk  at  that  time.  I  was  duly  enrolled  as  a  day  scholar 
in  Count  Larry's  establishment,  which  consisted  of  an  un- 
pretentious structure,  about  thirty  feet  square,  with  two 
doors,  one  for  entry  and  the  other  for  exit,  and  was  lighted 
by  two  windows  with  which  to  admit  the  sunshine  and 
fresh  air  in  the  summer  time,  and  to  shut  out  the  "cold, 
chilly  winds  of  December."  The  school  was  composed  of 
both  boys  and  girls,  and  the  Count  sat  in  a  large  wooden 
chair,  with  a  table  at  his  side  similar  to  those  now  seen 
in  a  modern  dairy  lunch  room  in  the  cities.  On  the  table 
was  placed  all  his  text  books  and  such  other  teacher's 
implements,  or  fixings,  and  then  to  descend  as  it  were  from 
the  "sublime  to  the  ridiculous,"  he  installed,  within  easy 
reach,  a  large  earthen  "spittoon,"  or  more  modernly 
speaking,  "cuspidor."  The  master,  enthroned  as  like  a 
ruler,  or  king,  surveyed  his  pupils  with  great  dignity  and 
gravity.  And  although  very  kind  and  lenient  in  his  deal- 
ings with  his  young  charges,  yet  when  occasion  required 
it  he  could  wield  the  birch  with  great  effect,  but  always 
with  prudence  and  moderation.  He  always  kept  a  sharp 
pen-knife  ready  for  use  in  making  or  mending  quill  pers, 
for  steel  pens  were  not  then  in  use  for  the  children;  the 
goose  quills  were  the  only  kind  of  pens  we  knew  about, 
and  it  was  no  small  job  to  keep  a  lot  of  chaps  well  supplied 
with  writing  materials,  for  he  was  constantly  called  upon. 
We  were  given  an  hour  at  playtime,  and  about  a  mile 
and  half  away  was  a  mill  pond,  which  is  probably  the 
now  unless  dried  up,  and  to  this,  in  the  warm  weather,  the 
boys,  both  large  and  small,  repaired  in  great  glee,  but  the 
girls  did  not  accompany  us. 


13 
Well  school  boys  are  proverbially  as  prone  to  mischief  as 
are  the  sparks  to  fly  upwards,  and  when  the  Count 
would  be  absorbed  in  study  the  boys  would  throw  torpedoes 
upon  the  floor  which  would  quickly  arouse  him  from  his 
studies,  but  was  soon  made  to  believe  that  it  was  but  an 
accidental  match  dropped  and  trodden  upon,  though  in 
truth  it  was  pure  deviltry  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  larger 
boys.  An  incident  fraught  with  much  concern  to  me  in 
connection  with  a  boy  by  the  name  of  Benjamin  Tucker, 
who  was  about  my  age,  but  much  stouter  and  had  by  some 
means  gotten  me  under  a  sort  of  "hack,"  and  it  becoming 
very  annoying  I  Anally  concluded  that  the  thing  had  gone 
far  enough,  so  one  day  I  lost  patience  with  Benjamin  and 
I  just ' '  pitched  into ' '  him  and  gave  him  a  gentle  thrashing ; 
he  had  on  a  bran-new  nine-pence  straw  hat  which  I  got 
hold  of  and  tore  to  smithereens.  Well,  after  this  "scrap" 
I  had  no  further  trouble  with  Master  Benjamin  Tucker. 
Another  rather  humorous  matter  which  happened  about 
this  time  at  school  was  about  a  boy  who  was  called  "Phil." 
He  was  the  pet  and  idol  of  his  mother,  who  took  a  pair  of 
his  father's  old  pants  and  made  him  a  pair  from  them,  but 
the  trouble  was  that  the  cloth  was  not  sufficient  for  the 
garment,  and  resulted  in  their  being  too  small  and  too 
tight  in  the  body  when  his  burley  form  was  encased  there- 
in, and  became  as  solid  as  a  drumhead,  and  we  had  a  popu- 
lar game  called  hard  ball  and  the  mischievous  fellows  se 
lected  him  as  a  special  target,  and  when  the  ball  struck  him 
plumb  it  rebounded  as  if  it  was  rubber,  but  at  last  he  got 
tired  of  being  made  a  butt  of  ridicule  and  a  target  in  the 
game,  so  he  complained  to  his  mother  and  she  reported  the 
matter  to  our  teacher,  requesting  that  gentleman  that  the 
boys  should  be  made  to  stop  the  treatment  to  her  son; 
the  Count,  after  giving  it  careful  consideration,  told  his 


14 
mother  that  the  only  remedy  that  he  could  suggest  was  to 
get  her  boy  a  new  and  a  more  roomy  pair  of  trousers,  and 
cast  the  old  ones  which  had  caused  his  annoyance  aside. 
Our  old  teacher  was  a  good  and  faithful  one,  and  if  his 
pupils  did  not  profit  by  his  knowledge  and  training,  it 
surely  was  not  his  fault.  He  possessed  of  course  some  ob- 
jectionable habits,  such  as  when  school  closed  he  would 
get  on  a  ''spree"  and  remain  on  it  until  school  was  as- 
sembled for  work,  when  all  traces  of  his  riotous  living  had 
disappeared. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

My  brother,  Miles  Macon,  afterwards  commander  of  the 
Fayette  Artillery,  Confederate  States  Army,  joined  me  at 
"Woodland"  and  became  a  scholar  in  our  school;  he  was 
my  senior  by  two  years.  Our  country  life  there  was  very 
pleasant,  for  on  Saturdays  we  would  hunt  birds  all  day,  as 
my  brother  owned  a  fine  pointer  dag  named  "Roscoe," 
and  we  were  hunting  on  "Spring  Garden,"  owned  by 
Judge  Meredith,  it  being  about  seven  miles  from  our  place, 
when  the  old  dog  broke  down  from  the  infirmities  of  age 
and  Miles  and  I  carried  him  home  on  our  shoulders,  it  be- 
ing his  last  appearance  in  the  fields  that  he  had  so  success- 
fully hunted,  for  he  died  soon  afterwards. 

About  this  period  politics  were  coming  strongly  to  the 
front,  and  I  remember  when  Mr.  Chastaine  White  was 
nominated  by  the  Democrats  for  the  General  Assembly, 
and  William  C.  Wickham  was  put  up  by  the  Whig  party 
for  the  same  office.  My  brother,  Dr.  Macon,  was  a  Whig, 
and  a  friend  and  supporter  of  Wickham.  The  Democrat 
was  of  course  elected,  as  at  that  time  a  Whig  stood  no  show, 
however  superior  his  qualification  for  the  position  might 


15 
be.  Another  feature  of  the  times  was  the  muster  of  the 
county  militia,  when  the  colonel  commandant,  arrayed  in 
a  uniform  as  gorgeous  as  that  of  a  field  marshall  of  France, 
put  his  men  through  a  few  drill  evolutions  and  then  dis- 
banded them,  after  which  all  hands  went  willingly  up  and 
took  a  drink,  and  it  was  a  field  day,  for  Mr.  Ellett  who 
then  kept  ' '  Old  Church ' '  Tavern  and  profited  greatly  by 
the  crowd's  liberal  spending  of  money. 

There  were  two  churches  near  "Woodland,"  the  Presby- 
terian was  called  "Bethlehem,"  a  name  connected  with 
many  good  associations ;  the  other  was  an  Episcopal  one, 
and  named  "Emmanuel,"  which  name  suggests  many 
Christian  ideas.  As  a  boy  I  attended  both  these  churches, 
and  noticed  one  thing  particularly  that  was  that  the  male 
attendants,  both  communicants  and  non-communicants, 
gathered  on  the  outside  and  discussed  farming  and  neigh- 
boring topics  and  conditions  generally.  I  also  observed 
that  those  living  a  long  distance  from  the  church  always 
dined  with  some  friend  near  the  church,  this  being,  I 
thought,  simply  a  species  of  "whacking"  which  was  quite 
admissable  under  the  circumstances. 

The  planters,  who  owned  and  cultivated  large  estates 
on  the  river,  built  summer  residences  on  the  higher  lands 
of  the  same,  in  order  to  escape  the  malaria  and  chills,  pro- 
duced by  the  miasma  arising  from  the  marshes  exposed  to 
the  sun  and  night  air  at  low  tide  during  the  heated  term, 
which  the  first  killing  frost  in  the  fall  would  dispel  and  ren- 
der the  river  residents  healthy  and  comfortable  when  they 
would  all  return  to  their  estates.  I  have  never  in  my  trav- 
els seen  a  more  productive  country  in  the  State  than  the 
famous  low  grounds  bordering  the  Pamunkey  river,  begin- 
ning about  Hanover  Town  and  continuing  down  that 
stream  to  the  celebrated  "White  House  "  plantation  in  New 


16 
Kent  County,  which  estate  originally  belonged  to  General 
Custis,  who  was  the  first  husband  of  Martha  Washington 
(nee  Dandridge). 

Dr.  William  Macon,  my  brother,  about  this  time  came 
into  possession  of  the  Mount  Prospect  plantation  in  New 
Kent  County,  on  the  Pamunkey  River,  left  to  him  by  our 
grandfather,  Colonel  William  Hartwell  Macon,  it  being 
then  one  of  the  finest  farms  on  the  river;  it  adjoined  the 
famous  White  House  aforementioned,  which  latter  planta- 
tion was  inherited  and  occupied  later  by  General  William 
H.  Fitzhugh  Lee,  son  of  the  famous  General  Robert  E.  Lee, 
of  Confederate  fame. 

The  York-  River  railroad  passed  through  a  portion  of  the 
"Mt.  Prospect  farm."  A  noted  feature  of  the  place  was 
its  very  large  and  beautiful  garden,  almost  every  flower 
and  plant  known  to  Eastern  Virginia  florists  was  to  be 
found  there,  and  considerable  expense  had  been  made  to 
render  it  a  veritable  Garden  of  Eden ;  and  then,  alas  !  when 
the  great  strife  began  between  the  North  and  the  South, 
and  our  beloved  old  State  became  the  battleground  of  the 
contending  hosts  of  soldiers  of  both  sides,  and  the  Federal 
army,  under  General  McClellan,  advanced  up  the  penin- 
sula from  Fort  Monroe  the  farm  became  the  camping 
ground,  and  his  cavalry  was  picketted  in  that  lovely  spot, 
amid  the  almost  priceless  roses  and  violets,  and  needless 
to  add  that  when  those  horsemen  left  it  was  a  pitiable  scene 
of  "horrid  war's  desolating  effects,  as  hardly  a  trace  of 
its  former  beauty  and  vision  of  refinement  remained. 

A  gentleman,  Colonel  Grandison  Crump,  taught  school 
near  the  place,  and  I  was  made  a  scholar  of  his;  it  was 
quite  like  that  of  Count  Larry's,  except  that  the  Colonel 
had  no  girls  in  his  school.  He  sat  is  the  same  kind  of  arm- 
chair, and  made  and  trimmed  quill  pens  in  the  very  same 


17 
way.  He  was  a  most  excellent  teacher  and  I  fairly  buckled 
down  to  hard  study,  and  as  a  consequence  learned  more 
then  ever  before,  or  indeed  afterwards,  at  school.  Our 
teacher  was  not  a  young  man,  as  he  was  near  sixty  years 
of  age,  and  was  deeply  enamored  with  a  certain  beautiful 
girl  living  in  Charles  City  County  adjoining;  a  Miss  Maria 
Jerdone  was  the  fortunate  one,  a  most  attractive  girl,  and 
quite  young  enough  to  be  his  daughter,  but  which  did  not 
prevent  the  old  Colonel  from  loving  her  with  all  the  ardor 
of  youth.  He  was  then  living  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Braxton 
Garlick  at  "Waterloo"  plantation,  on  the  Pamunkey, 
which  gentleman  was  one  of  the  most  hospitable  men  that 
ever  lived,  and  who  joked  with  the  Colonel  about  his  at- 
tentions to  the  young  lady,  but  which  did  not  dampen  his 
ardor  towards  her,  though  he  did  not  gain  his  suit,  as  she 
afterwards  married  a  Mr.  Pettus,  an  A.  M.  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia,  who  taught,  and  was  the  principal  of  a 
female  academy  in  Tennessee ;  they  made  a  very  handsome 
bridal  couple,  but  she  did  not  long  survive  the  wedding, 
and  Mr.  Pettus  married,  as  his  second  wife,  a  Miss  Turner, 
and  removed  to  Richmond,  Va.,  where  he  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  lose  his  second  wife  by  death. 

About  this  date  I,  who  had  grown  to  be  a  good-sized  boy, 
remember  well  going  down  to  New  Kent  Courthouse  to  see 
the  cavalry  troop  with  their  new  and  very  shody  uniforms 
of  light  blue  cloth  with  silver  trimmings  and  metal  helmet, 
with  white  plumes.  This  old  company,  one  of  the  oldest 
in  the  State,  was  then  officered  as  follows  :  Captain,  Brax- 
ton Garlick;  first  lieutenant,  George  T.  Brumley,  with 
Southey  Savage  as  orderly  sergeant.  On  this  occasion,  af- 
ter the  commanding  officer  had  put  the  troopers  through  a 
few  drilling  paces,  all  of  them,  officers  and  private  soldiers, 
with  one  accord  repaired  to  the  tavern  bar  room  and  there 


18 
regaled  themselves  with  several  fine  juleps  each ;  this  treat 
had  been  set  up  by  Captain  Garlick,  and  he  expected  each 
man  to  do  his  duty  in  this  valiant  attack  upon  the  enemy's 
fort,  and  truly  was  he  not  disappointed  therein,  although 
it  was  one  of  the  hottest  days  I  ever  felt  in  the  month  of 
May. 

Not  far  from  my  brother's  residence,  where  I  was  then 
living,  lived  a  man  named  Tip  Rabineau,  a  unique  charac- 
ter, his  ways  and  dress  were  both  similar  to  that  of  the 
person  described  as  Dominie  Sampson  in  Sir  Walter  Scott's 
novel  "Guy  Mannering. "  Tip  was  about  six  feet  and  two 
inches  in  height;  he  wore  his  pants  too  short  and 
coat  sleeves  not  long  enough  to  cover  his  big  wrists, 
and  yet  he  had  an  accomplishment  which  gave  him 
much  distinction  in  the  neighborhood  as  being  one 
of  the  most  successful  hunters  to  be  found  anywhere 
around,  ranking  as  one  of  the  best  shots  in  Hanover  Coun- 
ty. He  used  always  a  single-barreled  shot-gun  that  meas- 
ured about  six  feet  in  length  and  carried  powder  in  a  small 
round  gourd,  and  the  shot  in  a  canvass  shot-bag ;  for  load- 
ing this  muzzle-loader  he  used  newspaper  for  wadding ; 
the  bore  of  this  weapon  was  but  little  larger  than  a  ladies ' 
thimble,  but  with  this  primitive  outfit  he  brought  down  a 
bird  every  time  he  fired  at  one.  What  finally  became  of 
Rabineau  I  know  not  since  I  lost  sight  of  him. 

Colonel  Frank  G.  Ruffin,  just  before  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  at  my  brother's  invitation,  came  down  to  Mount  Pros- 
pect, our  home  then,  for  the  puprose  of  lecturing  on  agri- 
culture to  the  farmers  at  New  Kent  Courthouse,  on  a  court 
day,  where  a  large  crowd  had  assembled  to  hear  him,  and 
although  whether  theoretical  or  scientific  farming  had  then 
attained  the  high  degree  it  now  enjoys  is  a  matter  of  much 
doubt,  yet  he  imparted  to  his  listeners  in  a  very  pleasing 


19 
and  instructive  manner,  many  valuable  ideas  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  new  way  of  tilling  "old  mother  earth";  how 
poor,  thin  soil  could  be  made  to  yield  as  much  as  the  richest 
Pamunkey  low  grounds  under  his  advanced  system  of  cul- 
tivation. Of  course  there  were  some  present  who  believed 
the  Colonel,  and  others  who  did  not  fully  accept  his  the- 
ories, for  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  considered  one  of  the 
least  practical  of  the  prominent  farmers  in  the  State,  but 
one  of  the  best  theoretical  ones.  We  passed  a  very  pleas- 
ant day  at  the  courthouse  and  I  enjoyed,  on  our  return 
home,  as  a  boy,  great  pleasure  and  instruction  from  his 
most  interesting  and  amusing  conversation.  Ah,  indeed ! 
was  those  the  flush  times  in  the  old  Commonwealth,  the  like 
of  which  will  never  again  be  known. 

At  about  the  period  I  am  writing  the  York  River  rail- 
road was  being  built  from  Richmond  in  an  easterly  direc- 
tion about  forty  miles  to  West  Point,  in  King  AVilliam 
County,  at  the  head  of  York  River,  and  the  junction  of  two 
rivers,  the  Pamunkey  and  the  Mattaponi.  The  young  men, 
the  civil  engineers  employed  about  the  surveying  and  con- 
struction of  this  work  frequently  visited  "Mount  Pros- 
pect," it  being  convenient  to  the  camp,  and  we  all  enjoyed 
their  society  very  much  indeed,  they  being  polished  gentle- 
men, whose  presence  was  an  agreeable  addition  to  any 
company;  among  them  I  can  recall  the  names  of  Major 
*  E.  T.  D.  Myers,  General  J.  M.  St.  John,  Colonel  Jno.  G. 
Clarke,  Colonel  Henry  T.  Douglass  and  others  whose  names 
I  fail  to  remember  now,  but  all  were  then  young,  intelligent 
men,  each  of  whom  afterwards  attained  important  military 
positions  in  the  Confederate  service  during  the  war  which 
soon  followed  their  railroad  building  on  the  peninsula. 
Colonel  Clarke,  above  mentioned,  subsequently  married  my 
sister,  Lucy  Selden. 


20 

The  majority  of  them  have  now  passed  from  this  life 
on  earth  to  join  those  on  the  "other  side  of  the  river," 
though  their  names  and  deeds  are  revered  by  their  survi- 
vors. No  State,  nor  country  ever  produced  a  braver  or 
more  accomplished  group  of  heroes  than  they  were. 

Well,  after  attending  Colonel  Crumps'  school  for  three 
years,  when  he  closed  for  the  summer  vacation  I  bid  fare- 
well to  his  excellent  tutorship.  There  were  many  quite 
pleasant  associations  connected  with  my  school  days  there ; 
I  was  considered  one  of  his  best  boys ;  I  packed  up  my  few 
belongings  there  and  returned  to  Auburn,  my  mother's 
home.  My  respected  father  died  in  the  year  1852,  and  my 
mother  then  carried  on  the  farming  operations  under  the 
supervision  of  our  servant  Israel  as  her  head  man  and  over- 
seer, who  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  and  faithful  negroes 
I  ever  knew,  performing  his  duties  fully  and  satisfactorily 
to  his  mistress  as  manager  of  the  hands. 

Two  of  my  sisters  were  then  married,  Sister  Anne  to  Mr. 
Peyton  Johnston,  the  senior  member  of  the  drug  house  of 
P.  Johnston  &  Brothers,  of  Richmond ;  my  other  sister, 
Betty,  married  the  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander  Martin,  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  Danville,  Va.  Probably  no  minister  in 
that  denomination  had  a  higher  reputation  for  pulpit  ora- 
tory ;  he  preached  with  force  and  effect,  and  set  an  example 
of  a  pure,  unselfish,  Christian  life. 

After  consulting  the  wishes  of  her  single  daughters  my 
good  mother  decided  to  move  to  Richmond.  She  therefore 
rented  a  nice  roomy  house  in  a  pleasant  street  in  the  city, 
and  then  a  new  leaf  in  the  book  of  life  was  turned  for  me, 
as  I  of  course  continued  to  live  with  the  family,  but  an  era, 
or  epoch  in  my  journey  of  life  now  confronted  me,  as  I 
was  about  to  start  to  work  to  earn  my  own  bread  and  meat. 
I  therefore  duly  made  application  to  the  firm  of  Parker, 


21 

Nimms  &  Co.  for  a  clerkship  in  their  establishment,  and  the 
senior  partner  told  me  to  call  in  a  few  days  for  an  answer, 
which  I  accordingly  did  in  due  time  and  received  a  favor- 
able one,  and  in  a  few  days  I  began  my  life's  work.  I  re- 
mained with  that  firm  six  years  and  only  left  in  1861  to 
join,  or  rather  to  go  with  the  First  Company  Richmond 
Howitzers  into  the  great  war  between  the  States,  being  a 
member  before  the  same  strife  began,  having  joined  in  the 
year  1859  when  the  company  was  organized.  The  house  of 
Parker,  Nimms  &  Co.  was  one  of  the  largest  wholesale  dry- 
goods  houses  in  Virginia  at  that  time.  When  a  young  man 
commenced  his  apprenticeship  in  a  dry  goods  store,  it  took 
some  time  to  become  acquainted  with  the  routine  of  the 
business ;  it  was  about  twelve  months  before  I  was  allowed 
to  carry  a  customer  through  it.  It  was  not  then  as  now 
when  there  is  a  salesman  in  separate  departments  and  buy- 
ers are  taken  to  another  counter  and  clerks ;  but  then  in 
my  day  when  a  salesman  started  with  a  customer  or  pur- 
chaser he  carried  him  or  her  through  every  department 
until  the  memorandum  of  the  buyer  was  complete.  It  was 
then  considered  quite  undignified  for  houses  of  established 
reputation  and  standing  to  advertise  their  wares  in  the 
newspapers;  how  different  it  is  now,  when  most  of  the 
articles  are  sold  through  the  aid  of  printer's  ink ;  then  they 
were  sold  upon  their  merits  and  intrinsic  values,  and  also 
by  means  of  an  agreeable  mode  of  showing  them  off.  The 
house  had  a  large  patronage  in  the  city  as  well  as  from  all 
parts  of  the  State.  By  degrees  I  advanced  and  became  fa- 
miliar with  the  whole  business,  and  my  sales  were  footing 
up  well,  which  gave  satisfaction  to  my  employers,  and  con- 
sequently my  salary  was  advanced,  that  being  a  very  im- 
portant point  to  me. 

The  following  incident  occurred  to  a  Colonel  Jos.  Weisi- 


22 
ger,  who  was  a  fellow  clerk  in  the  house  of  Parker,  Nimms 
&  Co. ;  he  was  a  very  genial  man,  and  had  heen  the  hus- 
band of  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  planter,  Colonel  Boiling, 
who  had  settled  on  his  daughter  a  handsome  endowment 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  devising  all  the  property  at 
her  death  to  the  children  by  the  marriage ;  so  that  when 
she  died  a  few  years  later  not  a  single  dollar  fell  to  the 
husband  and  he  was  then  thrown  out  upon  his  own  re- 
sources for  his  living.  Under  such  circumstances,  he  ap- 
plied to  the  firm  of  Parker,  Nimms  &  Co.  for  a  position  as 
salesman  and  he  was  given  one.  He  was  at  the  time  wait- 
ing on  a  widow,  Mrs.  S ,  whose  deceased  husband  had 

left  her  a  fine  estate,  on  the  condition  of  her  not  again  tak- 
ing unto  herself  a  help-mate,  in  which  latter  case  all  of  the 
property  should  go  to  her  children  by  her  former  husband. 
She  hesitated  some  time  before  again  marrying  the  Colonel, 
the  meanwhile  became  very  attentive  to  her,  visiting  her 
frequently,  and  as  she  was  very  fond  of  peanuts  he  bought 
a  nice  lot  of  roasted  ones,  tied  them  up  nicely  in  a  box,  and 
placed  them,  as  he  thought,  in  a  perfectly  safe  spot;  when 
another  clerk  and  I  slyly  opened  the  package,  took  out  the 
"goobers,"  and  replaced  them  with  paper  and  saw-dust. 
Well,  the  fond  lover,  the  Colonel,  called  on  her  and  gaily 
presented  the  box,  and  her  disappointment  and  his  great 
mortification  may  be  imagined  when  its  contents  were  ex- 
posed to  view. 

There  was  another  incident  which  happened  during  one 
of  the  hottest  summers  in  Richmond,  when  the  mercury 
ranged  from  ninety-five  to  ninety-eight  degrees  in  the 
shade ;  the  clerks  in  the  store  took  it  by  turns  in  the  after- 
noon to  go  down  into  the  basement,  where  it  was  cool  and 
dark,  and  stretch  themselves  out  on  a  pile  of  goods  for  a 
quiet  nap,  as  there  was  nothing  much  doing  up  stairs.    So 


23 
one  afternoon  I  went  down  there  for  my  turn  to  sleep  and 
fixed  myself  very  comfortably ;  was  soon  sleeping  as  sweet- 
ly as  an  infant,  when  down  came  Weisiger,  on  mischief 
bent,  took  away  my  gaiters  that  I  had  removed  from  my 
feet  and  filled  them  up  with  paper,  stuffed  and  rammed  in 
hard,  after  which  he  placed  them  some  distance  from  where 
I  was,  and  then  sprinkled  water  in  the  space  between ;  he 
then  went  to  the  top  of  the  stairs  and  called  loudly  for  me, 
which  of  course  awakened  me,  and  I  hurriedly  reached  for 
my  shoes,  but  they  were  gone,  and  in  order  to  reach  them 
I  had  to  walk  on  a  wet  floor  in  my  sock  feet,  and  hunt  for 
them,  but  I  finally  found  them  and  got  things  straight, 
to  find  out,  when  I  went  up  stairs,  that  the  thing  was  but 
a  good  joke  on  me.  I  told  him  that  I  certainly  would  get 
even  with  him  yet  on  that ;  so  some  two  or  three  evenings 
later  he  went  down  stairs  for  the  same  purpose  and  he  was 
sleeping  soundly  when  I  got  some  paper,  the  kind  that 
comes  on  blocks  of  ribbons,  and  made  a  funnel ;  I  then  took 
some  lamp-black  and  placed  in  the  top  of  it,  going  down  I 
gave  the  funnel  a  whiff  and  the  whole  contents  went  on  his 
face,  and  the  more  he  rubbed  it  the  worse  it  became,  so  he 
came  up  stairs  one  of  the  most  furious  creature  that  ever 
I  saw.  A  fellow-clerk,  a  Mr.  Cagbill,  furnished  him  with 
soap  and  turpentine,  and  assisted  him  in  applying  it  so 
that  his  face  was  once  more  restored  to  its  normal  state, 
and  finally  pacified  him  by  saying,  well  you  played  a  good 
practical  joke  on  Macon,  who  took  it  in  a  good  spirit,  and 
now  one  who  cannot  take  a  joke,  should  not  play  one  on 
others.  The  Colonel  was  an  old  time  Virginia  gentleman 
and  we  afterwards  became  the  best  of  friends,  and  often 
laughed  at  our  tricks  of  other  days. 

The  dry  goods  house  of  Binford,  Mayo  &  Blair  was  one 
of  the  largest  and  best  in  Richmond.    Mr.  Binford  was  the 


24 
managing  head  of  the  firm,  and  they  had  a  customer  from 
the  southside,  who  was  a  large  tobacco  planter,  and  came 
to  the  city  twice  a  year,  bringing  with  him  a  memorandum 
for  dry  goods  to  be  purchased  nearly  a  yard  long,  and  the 
first  thing  he  would  do  on  reaching  town  was  to  visit  the 
store  and  hand  in  his  list  of  supplies — his  memorandum — 
asking  that  it  be  filled  in  the  best  maoner,  and  with  reason- 
able prices,  and  when  he  collected  from  his  commission 
merchant  he  would  call  and  pay  his  bill  before  leaving  for 
his  home,  which  he  never  failed  to  do,  and  being  a  regular 
customer  the  thing  went  on  year  after  year  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  both  parties.  At  last  the  planter  died  and  his  wife 
took  his  place  and  attended  to  his  affairs  in  the  city;  she 
accordingly  visited  the  store.  Mr.  Binford  met  her  and 
tendered  his  sympathy  in  her  misfortune  and  after  a  few 
minutes  of  conversation  she  drew  out  her  long  list  and 
asked  to  be  shown  several  articles  and  their  prices,  after 
examining  them  she  remarked  to  Mr.  Binford,  I  wish  to 
look  around  some  before  purchasing  and  will  return  and 
go  through  with  my  bill.  She  called  upon  and  went  care- 
fully over  the  stock  of  every  house  in  that  line  in  Rich- 
mond in  order  to  see  if  he  had  been  overcharging  her  hus- 
band. She  returned  to  the  store  in  the  evening.  Mr.  Bin- 
ford having  preceded  her  but  a  few  moments  and  was  re- 
marking to  a  clerk  that  he  wished  the  old  lady  had  died  in- 
stead of  her  husband,  who  always  came  to  town,  gave  me 
his  memorandum  to  fill  and  everything  worked  smoothly, 
and  now  she  comes  in  and  runs  around  to  every  store  in 
the  city,  almost ;  she  heard  every  word  he  said,  but  instead 
of  taking  offense,  she  ''pitched  in,"  and  went  through  her 
bill  without  a  hitch.  There  was  another  incident  in  the 
Binford,  Mayo  &  Blair  house ;  it  appears  that  one  of  the 
salesmen  by  the  name  of  William  Perkins,  who  was  a  bright 


25 
fellow,  and  a  good  clerk,  had  one  especial  accomplishment, 
that  of  being  one  of  the  best  draw-poker  players  in  the 
city,  indulging  in  that  game  frequently.  One  morning  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm  called  Perkins  to  go  down  stairs 
as  he  wished  to  have  a  little  private  talk  with  him.  Mr. 
Perkins,  said  he,  I  am  informed  that  you  play  cards  a  great 
deal.  Perkins  replied,  sir,  do  I  perform  my  duty  satisfac- 
torily to  your  house?  Is  there  anything  in  my  conduct 
here  displeasing  to  you?  If  so,  please  let  me  know  now. 
Mr.  Binford  said,  sir,  you  are  an  efficient  salesman,  and  we 
are  well  pleased  with  you.  Mr.  Perkins  thei)  said,  well 
Mr.  Binford,  I  do  not  understand  why  you  should  bring 
me  down  here  to  lecture  me,  to  which  he  gravely  replied, 
Perkins  have  you  any  real  good  pointers  in  draw-poker? 
Perkins  told  him  that  he  thought  he  had,  when  Mr.  Bin- 
ford said,  then  press  them,  which  remark  ended  the  con- 
ference in  peace  and  harmony. 

Richmond  about  this  time  had  some  prominent  hotels 
and  restaurants,  among  the  latter  were  "Zetelle's,"  Tom 
Griffin's,  Charles  Thompson's,  and  several  others.  There 
were  no  dairy  lunches,  nor  snack-houses  in  town.  Cold 
storage  had  not  then  come  to  the  front.  When  a  gentle- 
man entered  a  restaurant  and  ordered  a  piece  of  roast 
beef,  or  a  steak,  he  got  home-killed  beef,  fat,  tender  and 
rich  in  flavor,  and  when  he  called  for  oysters  they  were 
set  before  him  cooked  with  pure  country  butter,  or  gen- 
uine fresh  hog's  lard,  and  not  cotton-seed  oil.  Coffee  was 
then  made  of  Java  mixed  with  a  little  Rio,  and  not  colored 
water,  as  is  found  at  some  of  the  eating  houses  of  the  day. 
To  be  sure  one  had  to  pay  a  little  more  for  such  a  repast, 
yet  he  generally  received  full  value  for  his  money. 

Age  and  experience  have  improved  many  thinks  in  the 
city,  yet  I  do  not  believe  that  the  restaurants  of  the  pres- 


26 
ent  time  are  as  good  as  they  were  then.  Among  the  hotels, 
the  Columbian,  owned  and  conducted  by  Mr.  Spottswood 
Crenshaw,  who  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Sublett,  was  situated 
at  the  corner  of  Cary  Street  and  Shockoe  Slip,  and  was 
the  most  popular  hostelry  for  tobacco  planters.  It  was 
very  well  kept,  the  table  was  supplied  with  the  very  best 
the  market  afforded ;  a  marked  feature  of  its  dinners  was 
that  pitchers  of  toddy  were  freely  distributed  to  refresh 
the  thirsty  guests.  There  was  also  the  ' '  American, ' '  which 
occupied  the  site  of  the  Lexington— of  the  year  1912 — at 
the  corner  of  Main  and  Twelfth  Streets.  The  Exchange 
and  Ballard  on  East  Franklin  and  Fourteenth  Streets,  was 
regarded  as  the  leading  hotel,  and  it  was  one  of  the  finest 
houses  of  its  time ;  it  was  kept  first  by  Colonel  Boykin  and 
afterwards  by  John  P.  Ballard  and  brothers,  and  last  by 
Colonel  Carrington.  In  those  days  there  were  no  transfer 
companies,  and  each  ran  its  own  omnibus  to  bring  to  and 
fro  the  guests  from  the  railway  stations  and  steamboats. 
I  well  remember  one  of  Mr.  Ballard's  teams,  consisting  of 
four  fine  iron-grey  horses  which  he  drove  to  one  of  his 
turnouts,  and  they  were  beauties,  being  driven  by  a  negro- 
whip,  who  knew  how  to  handle  them  to  advantage. 

At  this  period  of  time  I  was  living  in  the  country,  and 
came  to  the  city  to  attend  the  ceremony  of  laying  the  cor- 
ner-stone of  the  Washington  Monument  in  the  Capitol 
Square.  It  was  during  the  administration  of  Governor 
Jno.  B.  Floyd,  and  it  was  one  of  the  worst  days  I  ever  ex- 
perienced, being  cold,  rainy,  and  snowing,  all  the  military 
of  the  city,  besides  the  cadets  from  the  Virginia  Military 
Institute,  of  Lexington,  were  in  the  parade.  It  took  sev- 
eral years  to  build  the  foundation  for  the  monument,  and 
then  some  time  elapsed  before  the  equestrian  statue  of 
Washington,  which  was  designed  by  Crawford,  arrived  by 


27 
steamer  from  New  York,  when  it  was  hauled  from  Rockets 
wharf  on  a  flat  with  a  long  rope  attached  to  it  and  drawn 
to  its  destination  in  the  Capitol  Square  by  citizens  and 
placed  it  on  its  pedestal.  When  it  was  soon  afterwards 
unveiled  it  was  a  "red-letter  day''  in  Richmond  and  in 
the  history  of  the  State.  This  splendid  triumph  in  sculp- 
ture dedicated  to  the  renowned  "Father  of  his  country" 
stands  this  day  where  it  was  erected  more  than  a  half- 
century  ago,  and  is  considered  by  good  judges  to  be  the 
finest  equestrian  statue  in  the  United  States ;  it  is  sur- 
rounded by  heroic  size  figures  in  bronze  of  several  eminent 
Virginians. 

The  retail  grocery  stores  were  a  prominent  element  of 
the  city  of  Richmond's  business,  being  an  important  part 
of  its  commercial  greatness.  Among  them  there  were  the 
firms  of  Walter  D.  Blair  &  Co.,  the  senior  member  a  genial 
gentleman  whose  elegant  manners  not  only  retained  all  of 
his  old  customers,  but  drew  many  new  ones  to  his  attractive 
store ;  William  M.  Harrison,  Joseph  Weed  &  Son  and 
George  Dandridge.  These  all  kept  liquors,  as  well  as  gro- 
ceries. Mr.  Dandridge  had  a  clerk  who  was  a  good  sales- 
man and  advanced  the  interests  of  his  employer  in  every 
way  he  could,  and  yet  he  had  one  failing,  being  an  honest 
frequent  drinker,  so  one  day  his  employer  called  him  back 
to  the  rear  of  the  store  and  said,  now  sir,  you  are  a  good 
salesman,  and  also  a  good  man,  and  I  have  but  one  fault 
to  find  with  you,  namely,  you  take  a  drink  with  every  cus- 
tomer that  comes  in  here ;  yes,  he  answered  I  do,  and  if 
they  don't  come  in  fast  enough  I  drink  by  myself,  just  to 
keep  my  hand  in,  and  to  encourage  trade.  Mr.  Dandridge 
retained  him  in  his  employ  and  he  finally  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm.  The  retail  dry  goods  houses  were  dis- 
tinguished for  their  efficiency  and  size ;  there  were  on  Main 


28 
Street  five  or  six  and  about  the  same  number  on  Broad 
Street.  I  recall  particularly  the  prominent  one  of  Mann 
S.  Valentine,  who  was  one  of  the  most  successful  merchants 
of  Richmond.  His  son,  Mann  S.  Valentine,  Jr.,  was  the 
discoverer  of  the  formula  for  extracting  and  manufactur- 
ing for  commerce  the  fluid  extract  of  beef,  known  as  "Val- 
entine's Meat  Juice,"  which  at  his  death  fell  to  his  sons, 
who  organized  the  Valentine  Meat  Juice  Company,  which 
has  proved  a  boon  to  humanity,  particularly  to  invalids. 
The  enterprising  firm  conducts  a  very  large  export,  as  well 
as  a  domestic  trade,  and  is  composed  of  intelligent  and  pro- 
gressive business  men.  Mr.  M.  S.  Valentine,  Jr.,  the  found- 
ed of  the  present  house,  at  his  death,  through  his  muni- 
ficence, established  and  endowed  the  well  known  Valen- 
tine Museum,  which  is  a  lasting  monument  to  his  memory. 
It  is  kept  in  the  best  manner  by  his  sons,  who  feel  a  great 
pride  in  it.  Within  its  spacious  rooms  are  to  be  found 
many  of  the  finest  relics  of  the  arts  of  antiquity,  and  also 
specimens  of  Virginian  and  Southern  fossils  and  curi- 
osities, which  have  been  collected  and  placed  here  at  great 
expense  and  trouble.  The  building  occupied  by  the  Mu- 
seum was  originally  purchased  from  James  G.  Brooks,  and 
he,  from  Mr.  Jno.  P.  Ballard,  and  he  bought  it  from  Mr. 
Wickham,  so  it  is  associated  with  historic  memories,  and 
it  is  truly  one  of  the  most  interesting  places  in  the  city, 
and  is  visited  daily  by  thousands  of  strangers  visiting 
Richmond,  as  well  as  by  the  residents  of  the  city.  Mr.  Ed- 
ward S.  Valentine  is  one  of  the  most  famous  sculptors  of 
his  day,  who  designed  and  created  out  of  Italian  marble 
the  celebrated  recumbent  statue  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee, 
now  in  the  chapel  of  Washington  and  Lee  University  at 
Lexington,  Virginia.  This  is  considered  one  of  the  best 
specimens  of  the  fine  arts  in  the  world.     Indeed  it  is  an 


29 
effigy  in  marble  which  produces  mingled  emotions  of  ad- 
miration and  awe,  as  it  lies  there  in  its  silent  vault  il- 
lumined by  electric  lamps  in  its  darkened  chamber. 

The  wholesale  grocery  houses  of  Richmond  at  this  time 
were  large  and  served  their  purpose  well.  I  recall  to  mem- 
ory the  firms  of  E.  &  S.  Wortham  &  Co.,  which  did  a  very 
large  business,  having  the  patronage  from  the  extensive 
plantations  on  the  Pamunkey  River  in  grain  and  produce. 
Also  Stokes  &  Reeves,  Selden  &  Miller,  Hugh  Fery  &  Sons, 
and  Dunlop  &  MeCauce,  the  latter  firm  dealt  principally 
in  New  Orleans  sugars  and  molasses,  carrying  on  the  larg- 
est business  in  that  line  of  any  house  in  the  city.  Next  I 
must  mention  the  many  tobacco  manufacturers,  which 
business  was  a  very  important  one,  as  it  is  now.  The  fac- 
tories of  James  A.  Grant,  William  H.  Grant,  William  Grea- 
nor,  Robert  A.  Mayo  &  Son,  James  Thomas,  Jr.,  and  many 
others,  all  did  a  tremendous  trade  in  this  lucrative  busi- 
ness. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

A  unique  feature  was  the  agencies  for  hiring  out  negro 
hands  and  servants,  it  forming  a  large  part  of  the  busi- 
ness of  the  real  estate  men.  Richmond  was  then  said  to 
have  one  hundred  tobacco  factories  in  active  operation. 

My  memory  reverts  to  an  interesting  event  in  the  year 
I860,  when  Edward,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  of  the  Royal 
family  of  Great  Britain,  visited  Richmond,  coming  here 
from  Washington  with  his  retinue  who  were  entertained 
at  the  old  Exchange  and  Ballard  House — then  in  its  prime. 
The  Prince  stayed  over  Sunday  and  attended  church  at 
Saint  Paul's.  Doctor  Minnegerode  was  then  the  rector 
of  the  parish,  and  he  preached  a  good  practical  sermon  for 
the   distinguished   guests.      I   remember  well   seeing   the 


30 
Prince,  who  was  then  a  beardless  youth,  of  a  good  figure 
and  looks,  he  returned  to  the  Capital  City  the  next  day, 
pleased  with  his  trip;  it  was  an  epoch  in  the  history  of 
Virginia,  socially  speaking.  Another  incident  was  the  lec- 
ture delivered  here  by  Mr.  Thackery,  the  great  novelist, 
at  the  Athenaeum,  which  building  was  then  just  in  the  rear 
of  the  Broad  Street  Methodist  Church,  the  subject  of  the 
lecture  was  the  "Georges,"  and  it  was  a  chaste  and  inter- 
esting address,  full  of  anecdotes,  with  a  vein  of  sarcasm 
interspersed  throughout. 

Another  lecture  about  this  time  was  that  of  the  Hon. 
Edward  Everett,  delivered  at  the  old  African  Church ;  the 
subject  was  General  George  Washington.  He  was  lectur- 
ing under  the  auspices  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Association 
for  the  purchase  of  that  place  from  its  owners.  The  Mount 
Vernon  papers  which  were  then  published  by  Mr.  Bowner 
in  the  New  York  Ledger,  were  edited  by  him,  and  this 
address  by  him  here  was  a  literary  treat,  as  was  every- 
thing emenating  from  his  cultivated  mind;  the  cburch 
was  filled  with  a  highly  appreciative  audience,  and  all  went 
home  well  pleased. 

The  local  politics  were  to  some  extent  interesting,  as  al- 
most every  man  discussed  them  in  public.  The  African 
Church  was  used  on  Sundays  as  a  negro  meeting  house  for 
worship,  and  during  the  week  for  political  gatherings  by 
the  white  people,  it  being  the  largest  in  town.  The  colored 
people  were  of  course  paid  for  the  use  of  their  church 
building.  When  a  person  announced  his  candidacy  for  any 
office  in  the  gift  of  the  people,  he  was  requested  to  define 
his  position  and  views  on  the  questions  of  the  day.  For 
instance  when  the  subject  of  a  free  bridge  between  Rich- 
mond and  Manchester  over  the  James  River  was  debated 


31 
the  people  were  called  upon  to  express  their  ideas  pro  and 
con  in  the  old  African  Church. 

There  was  a  prominent  local  politician  by  the  name  of 
George  Peake,  who  whenever  a  speaker  uttered  a  senti- 
ment of  which  he  approved,  would  emphasize  it  by  loudly 
exclaiming,  "Why,  certainly,"  and  everybody  knew  where 
the  voice  came  from,  as  he  was  notorious.  On  one  occa- 
sion I  was  present  at  a  meeting  when  a  Mr.  Martin  Mere- 
dith Lipscomb  was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  city  ser- 
geant, he  was  an  illiterate  man,  but  had  the  conceit  and 
obstinacy  of  a  government  mule,  and  was  arguing  the  point 
that  when  a  man  was  born  on  the  lower  round  of  the  social 
ladder  he  should  not  be  debarred  from  rising  to  the  upper 
ones,  and  to  illustrate  his  point  said  he,  now  suppose  I  had 
been  born  in  a  stable,  just  then  some  wag  in  the  crowd  in- 
terrupted him  by  yelling  out,  then,  sir,  you  would  have 
been  a  mule ;  this  rudeness  silenced  the  speaker  for  a  mo- 
ment, but  without  taking  any  notice  of  it,  he  resumed  his 
argument.  This  Mr.  Lipscomb  was  a  notorious  office-seeker 
and  never  failed  to  announce  himself  as  a  candidate  for 
almost  every  position  from  the  mayoralty  down  to  a  con- 
stable, for  nothing  seem  to  daunt  "old  Martin  Meredith," 
as  he  was  called,  in  his  attempts  to  hold  some  office,  al- 
though failure  was  his  only  reward. 

In  the  celebrated  campaign,  just  before  the  great  war, 
for  Governor  between  Henry  A.  Wise,  the  nominee  of  the 
Democracy,  and  the  Hon.  Stanhope  Flournoy,  the  cham- 
pion of  the  Whig  party,  the  "Know-nothings"  excitement 
was  in  its  incipiency  and  they  supported  the  Whigs  in  this 
contest.  Hon.  Henry  AVinter  Davis,  of  Maryland,  one  of 
the  best  political  orators  of  his  day,  spoke  in  advocacy  of 
"Know-nothingism, "  and  his  remarks  were  good  and  con- 
vincing from  his  standpoint,  but  the  strong  logic,  and  Her- 


32 
culean  thrusts  of  Mr.  Wise  utterly  destroyed  the  fallacies 
of  the  opposition,  and  the  Know-nothing  party  died,  then 
and  there.  Governor  Wise  was  one  of  the  most  gifted  and 
forcible,  as  well  as  interesting,  speakers  in  the  State.  At 
this  time  there  were  many  fine  public  speakers ;  I  will  men- 
tion Mr.  John  Minor  Botts,  an  old-line  Whig,  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  orators  of  Virginia,  he  spoke  but  sel- 
dom and  only  on  important  occasions.  Another  prominent 
one  was  Marmaduke  Johnson,  a  distinguished  lawyer  of 
the  city,  who  was  never  surpassed  in  eloquence.  There 
was  also  Colonel  Thomas  P.  August,  whose  addresses  were 
always  received  with  delight  by  an  audience  of  his  fellow 
citizens.  Mr.  John  Caskie,  who  represented  the  city  and 
district  in  Congress ;  he  was  a  very  fluent  and  convincing 
speaker,  and  it  was  a  forensic  treat  to  listen  to  him.  There 
were  many  others  whose  acquirements  in  oratory  were  not 
easily  equalled  before,  or  since,  this  day  and  time. 

Richmond  about  this  period  of  its  history  was  in  its 
prime,  and  prospects  were  very  bright.  The  churches 
were  an  important  feature;  among  the  most  prominent 
were  old  St.  John's,  on  that  part  of  the  city  called  "Church 
Hill. ' '  In  this  venerable  edifice,  Patrick  Henry  delivered 
that  celebrated  speech,  which  kindled  the  first  sparks,  that 
fired  the  colonies  to  burst  into  rebellion  against  the  ty- 
ranny of  old  King  George  the  Third.  Also  there  was  the 
Methodist  Church,  which  stood  originally  between  Four- 
teenth and  Fifteenth  Streets  on  East  Franklin,  the  congre- 
gation of  which  removed  to  their  new  building  now  on 
Broad  Street.  The  Second  Presbyterian,  on  Franklin  then 
occupied  the  site  of  Randolph's  paper  box  factory;  this 
congregation  built  a  fine  house  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Main  Streets.  The  pastor  of  this  was  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated divines  of  his  day;  he  was  succeeded  by  the  dis- 


33 
tinguished  pulpit  orator  Doctor  Moses  Hoge.  The  First 
Presbyterian  originally  stood  where  the  City  Hall  now 
rears  its  lofty  towers,  and  a  large  and  more  modern 
church  was  erected  at  the  corner  Of  Grace  and  Madison 
Streets.  Doctor  Moore  was  for  a  long  time  the  beloved 
pastor  of  this  congregation.  The  Monumental  Episcopal, 
with  so  many  historic  associations  clustering  around  it, 
was  built  on  the  spot  occupied  by  the  old  Richmond  The- 
ater, which  years  ago  was  burned  to  the  ground,  consum- 
ing many  of  the  most  esteemed  and  prominent  citizens  of 
the  city  and  State.  Doctor  Woodbridge  filled  the  pulpit 
of  this  sacred  building  for  many  years,  and  never  was  there 
a  purer  and  holier  minister  of  Christ.  I  remember  well 
some  of  the  vestrymen,  such  men  as  Mr.  James  Gardner, 
Mr.  George  Fisher,  and  others  of  the  same  stamp;  they 
were  as  good  men  as  the  world  ever  produced,  and  their 
memory  is  held  in  kindest  remembrance  by  all  who  knew 
them.  Next,  in  point  of  age  and  reverence,  I  mention  Saint 
Paul's  Episcopal,  situated  at  the  corner  of  Grace  and  Ninth 
Streets.  If  all  the  religious  and  historic  memories  of  this 
church  were  fully  recounted  it  would  almost  suffice  to  fill 
a  volume.  General  Robert  E.  Lee's  family  attended  this 
church,  as  did  also  the  General,  whenever  he  visited  his 
home  during  the  progress  of  the  great  war,  although  he 
was  seldom  away  from  the  front.  Miss  Hettie  Carey  and 
General  John  Pegram  were  married  there,  just  before  the 
end  of  the  hostilities,  and  if  my  memory  serves  me,  about  a 
week  later  his  lifeless  body  rested  upon  a  bier  in  front  of 
the  altar,  where  he  had  so  short  a  time  before  plighted  his 
troth  to  his  beautiful  and  most  gifted  bride.  Doctor  Min- 
negerode  was  the  rector  of  this  parish  and  he  was  one  of 
the  best  theologians  in  the  Episcopal  denomination,  was 
a  distinguished  professor  at  the  Theological  Seminary  near 


34 
Alexandria,  Virginia,  when  called  to  the  charge  of  St. 
Paul's.  It  was  while  President  Jefferson  Davis  was  wor- 
shipping in  this  sanctuary  on  a  sabbath  morning,  that  a 
message  informed  him  of  the  fall  of  Petersburg,  Va.  One 
of  the  largest  and  most  influential  congregations  worship- 
ped in  Saint  James  Episcopal  Church,  whose  first  minister 
for  a  long  time  was  Doctor  Empie,  who  was  succeeded  as 
rector  by  the  venerated  and  most  beloved  of  pastors,  the 
Reverend  Joshua  Peterkin,  of  sacred  memory,  who  was 
regarded  by  all  as  a  beacon  light  of  undefiled  Christianity, 
and  a  lowly  follower  of  the  Blessed  Saviour  of  mankind. 

The  Church  of  "All  Saints,"  on  West  Franklin  Street, 
though  one  of  the  youngest  Episcopal  congregations,  is  one 
of  the  very  best  and  most  popular.  Doctor  Downman,  the 
rector,  is  a  man  of  ripe  scholarship  in  divinity  and  of  sterl- 
ing piety.  The  vestrymen  of  "All  Saints"  are  ever  to  the 
front  in  every  deed  of  charity,  and  for  the  amelioration 
and  uplifting  of  suffering  humanity.  I  recall  as  members 
of  this  vestry  Mr.  F.  S.  Valentine,  Mr.  John  Tyler,  Mr. 
Peter  H.  Mayo,  and  several  other  well  known  citizens. 

St.  Peter's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  at  the  corner  of 
Grace  and  Eighth  Streets,  is  one  of  the  oldest  churches  in 
Richmond.  I  remember  when  Bishops  McGill  and  Keane 
officiated  there.  There  was  once  a  theological  discussion 
carried  on  through  the  newspapers  between  the  Bishop 
McGill  and  Doctor  Plummer,  of  the  Presbyterian  denomi- 
nation, who  were  two  intellectual  giants,  and  were  well 
matched  in  vigor  and  zeal.  1  recall  an  amusing  incident : 
there  lived  out  on  the  Brook  Turnpike  a  certain  lady 
who  drove  to  church  every  Sunday  to  her  carriage,  a 
pair  of  rat-tailed  sorrel  horses  that  always  came  quietly 
down  the  street  to  the  church,  but  when  their  mistress 
was  once  in  the  vehicle,  and  their  heads  were  turned  home- 


35 
wards,    after   services   were   over,   they   ran   at    a   sharp 
gallop  all  the  way  until  they  reached  the  front  gate  at 
their  home. 

A  very  attractive  feature  of  these  churches  was  the 
fine  choir  music,  which  I  am  sure  has  never  been  sur- 
passed. I  remember  when  the  choir  of  Monumental  was 
composed  of  Mr.  John  Tyler,  Miss  Emily  Denison  and 
other  noted  vocalists,  while  at  the  organ  presided  Mr.  Leo 
"Wheat.  "When  the  funeral  services  were  held  there  of 
Major  Wheat,  the  commander  of  the  New  Orleans  Tigers, 
who  was  killed  at  Cold  Harbor  in  1862,  Miss  Denison 
sang  a  solo,  entitled  "I  Would  Not  Live  Always."  I 
thought  it  one  of  the  sweetest  and  most  pathetic  hymns 
that  I  ever  heard.  At  Saint  Paul's  Madam  Rhul  was  the 
leading  soprano,  and  her  notes  were  as  sweet  as  the  warb- 
ling of  a  mocking  bird.  On  one  occasion  I  heard  her 
when  she  sang  that  fine  old  hymn,  "Jesus,  Lover  of  My 
Soul, ' '  to  the  air  of  ' '  When  the  Swallows  Homeward  Fly, ' ' 
and  indeed  I  do  not  believe  that  it  has  ever  been  sur- 
passed in  that  grand  old  edifice. 

Among  the  many  interests,  commercially  speaking, 
were  the  real  estate  firms,  for  instance  I  mention,  Goddin 
and  Apperson,  Taylor  and  Williams,  Hill  and  Rawlings 
and  Holliday  and  Rawlings.  The  movement  of  real  prop- 
erty then  was  not  quite  so  lively  as  it  is  now,  but  never- 
theless they  all  did  a  fair  business. 

Another  important  business  was  that  of  the  wholesale 
drug  houses,  among  the  largest  were,  Purcell,  Ladd  & 
Co.,  Peyton  Johnston  and  Brother,  Adie  and  Gray,  Wil- 
liam Beers  &  Co. ;  and  I  doubt  if  there  has  ever  been  any 
larger  houses  in  that  line,  before  or  since.  Their  trade 
was  extensive  and  came  from  all  parts  of  the  State,  and 
neighboring  States  to  the  south.    There  was  then  no  sell- 


36 

ing  goods  through  travelling  salesmen  by  samples,  but  the 
purchasers  came  in  person  direct  to  headquarters  and 
laid  in  their  supplies. 

Another  leading  feature  of  Richmond's  make-up  was 
its  corps  of  physicians.  A  man  who  is  a  specialist  now- 
adays in  any  particular  calling  is  termed  a  doctor,  but  I 
am  now  only  alluding  to  the  Doctors  of  Medicine — the 
M.  D.'s — the  followers  of  Esculapius  of  yore.  Among 
these  was  first  and  foremost,  Francis  H.  Deane,  whose 
presence  even  almost  revived  a  patient;  many  sick  fellows 
recall  his  genial  face  when  entering  the  sick  chamber.  He 
practiced  in  our  family  over  thirty  years.  Also  there 
was  Doctor  Cunningham,  who  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
best ;  Doctor  Bell  Gibson,  who  was  esteemed  the  most  emi- 
nent surgeon  in  the  State.  Another  noted  surgeon  was 
Doctor  Petticolas,  whose  general  practice  was  very  ex- 
tensive. Then  I  must  mention  those  great  and  good  men, 
Doctors  Skelton  and  Knox,  who  were  shining  lights  in 
their  profession,  whose  memory  is  cherished,  as  well  as 
that  of  old  Doctors  McCaw  and  Marks. 

The  wholesale  shoe  houses  were  a  big  item  in  the  city's 
mercantile  life.  Among  the  leading  ones  were  Hubbard, 
Gardner  and  Carlton,  which  concern  did  the  largest  busi- 
ness in  foot-wear  in  Richmond ;  their  trade  was  co-exten- 
sive with  the  State.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  is  now  a  house 
in  their  line  conducting  a  larger  trade.  Then  there  was 
the  old  and  staunch  firm  of  Putney  and  Watts,  and  also 
White  and  Page,  besides  several  large  retail  stores. 

At  this  gentlemen  did  not  wear  machine-made  boots 
and  shoes,  but  had  them  to  order  by  native  shoemakers. 
The  fashionable  footdress  then  was  Congress  gaiters  and 
boots ;  Oxford  ties  were  worn  in  the  summer.  The  change 
in  men's  attire  is  quite  distinct,  as  formerly  gentlemen  wore 


37 
broad-cloth  made  with  a  Prince  Albert  or  frock  coat  with 
pants  and  vests  to  match.     A  very  popular  style  was  a 
blue  cloth  clawhammer  coat   with  plain  brass  buttons. 
Linen  suits  were  much  worn  in  the  hot  season. 

At  one  time  a  Mr.  Selden  kept  a  large  boarding  house 
called  "The  Richmond,"  which  stood  at  the  corner  of 
Governor  and  Ross  Streets.  It  was  a  fine  house  and  was 
particularly  popular  with  young  clerks,  and  among  the 
boarders  was  a  unique  person  named  Beau  Lambert,  he 
was  a  very  fastidious  man  in  his  dress,  always  wearing 
a  fine  black  suit  with  a  dress  coat,  and  was  particular  in 
parting  the  skirts  of  his  coat  on  sitting  down.  Accord- 
ingly one  day  Henry  Thornton,  a  young  fellow,  full  of 
fun  and  tricks,  took  from  the  dinner  table  a  dumpling 
of  meal  out  of  a  dish  of  jowl  and  turnip  salad  and  slipped 
it  in  Lambert's  coat  pocket.  It  was  a  very  greasy  and 
disagreeable  joke,  and  the  Beau  did  not  find  out  who  was 
the  perpetrator  for  some  days,  and  of  course  he  was  very 
much  displeased,  but  mutual  friends  arranged  the  matter 
amicably,  and  they  became  good  friends  afterwards. 

The  gambling  establishments  were  an  important  part 
of  the  city's  life  at  this  juncture.  The  law  against  faro 
banks  was  not  strictly  enforced  as  it  is  now.  Their  rooms 
were  elegantly  furnished,  and  every  night  a  sumptuous 
supper  was  spread  before  their  patrons,  which  was  greatly 
enjoyed  by  many  planters  coming  to  town  to  sell  their 
crops.  Among  the  most  popular  ones  were  Worsham 
and  Brother,  the  Morgan  Brothers  and  Nat  Reeves.  The 
credit  of  these  men  was  as  good  as  that  of  any  merchant 
in  town.  I  recall  an  incident  in  connection  with  these 
games,  to  wit:  There  were  three  students  at  the  medical 
college  who  were  gay  and  up-to-date  boys,  but  were  not 
blessed    with    much    cash,    who    frequently    visited    Mr. 


38 
Reeve's  rooms.  On  a  certain  Saturday  night  they  went 
out  with  a  tumhrie  cart  to  procure  subjects  for  the  college 
to  be  dissected.  They  first  backed  up  the  cart  in  front 
of  his  entrance,  and  then  asked  each  other  how  much 
money  they  had  between  them;  one  had  a  dollar  and  a 
half,  another  two  dollars  and  the  other  only  fifty  cents, 
making  all  but  three  dollars,  which  was  not  enough  with 
which  to  get  on  a  good  "spree."  So  it  was  arranged,  in 
order  to  carry  out  their  fun  to  the  best  advantage,  in 
the  following  manner,  they  appointed  one  as  spokesman 
to  run  the  small  sum  in  their  pool  at  Mr.  Reeves'  bank 
in  a  game  of  faro,  and  as  the  boy  walked  up  to  the  cashier 
to  invest  it  in  "chips,"  Mr.  Reeves  said,  "I  will  not  sell 
you  any,  for  if  you  should  make  a  run  on  me  you  might 
win  from  me  several  hundred  dollars,  and  if  I  should 
beat  you  in  the  game  I  should  only  gain  three  dollars," 
and  so,  at  these  words,  he  took  out  of  the  drawer  a  ten- 
dollar  bank  note  and  handed  it  to  him,  saying,  "Now 
boys  go  ahead,  and  don't  come  back  here  again  tonight." 
Now,  that  was  all  they  wanted ;  it  played  right  into  their 
hands,  for  the  money  enabled  them  to  pass  a  gay  and 
joyous  night.  These  three  youngsters  afterwards  grad- 
uated well,  and  all  of  them  became  successful  practi- 
tioners of  the  "Art  of  Healing." 

Before  the  beginning  of  the  war  between  the  States.  In 
those  days  on  each  "Fourth  of  July"  picnics  and  bar- 
becues were  held.  On  one  of  these  days  I  attended  a 
barbecue  at  Buchanan's  Spring,  which  was  then  outside 
the  city  in  the  county  of  Henrico.  A  large  and  enthu- 
siastic crowd  was  present  and  there  were  various  devices 
for  promoting  mirth  and  pleasure.  A  Mr.  James  Fergu- 
son, one  of  the  city's  most  prominent  merchants,  was  there, 
and  also  Mr.  William  F.  "Watson,  a  lawyer  of  high  stand- 


39 
ing.  Mr.  Ferguson  was  a  man  of  fine  figure  and  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  dancers  in  town.  Mr.  Watson  was 
a  portly  man  and  weighed  about  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
pounds,  and  almost  as  broad  as  long.  The  weather  was 
very  warm  indeed,  and  it  was  arranged  to  dance  an  Irish 
jig,  there  being  no  ladies  present.  They  stripped  off 
everything  but  their  underwear  and  they  footed  it  out  to 
a  finish,  and  it  was  called  one  of  the  best  displays  of  that 
lively  dance  that  had  been  seen  for  many  days.  The 
championship  was  awarded  to  Mr.  "Watson. 

One  of  the  most  noted  military  organizations  in  Rich- 
mond at  that  time  was  the  old  State  Guard,  which  occu- 
pied the  armory  near  the  Tredegar  Iron  Works.  It  was 
officered  by  Captain  M.  Dimmock,  Lieutenant  Gay  and 
Lieutenant  Clarke,  and  was  as  well  drilled  as  the  cadets 
at  West  Point.  The  officers  frequently  gave  exhibitions 
of  drills  on  Capitol  Square,  and  it  was  a  treat  to  see  their 
skirmish  drills,  which  drew  a  large  concourse  of  spec- 
tators, and  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  sights  I  ever 
witnessed.  After  the  war  the  organization  of  the  State 
Guard  was  abolished. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Of  the  theaters  of  the  city,  the  most  prominent  one 
was  the  old  "Marshall,"  which  stood  where  the  Meyer 
Greentree  furnishing  store  now  is  located,  at  the  corner 
of  Seventh  and  Broad  Streets.  It  was  leased  by  Mr. 
Taylor.  The  stock  company  was  composed  of  some  of 
the  most  distinguished  actors  of  the  day,  who  have  ap- 
peared on  the  stage  of  this  country.  Among  them  were 
Joseph  Jefferson,  Booth,  John  Owens,  Adams,  Boniface 
and  Mary  Devlin,  who  afterwards  married  Edwin  Booth. 


40 
I  remember  seeing  there  Burton,  in  his  famous  role  of 
"Toodles";  Clarke,  in  "Our  American  Cousin,"  and 
Neaffie,  in  "Hamlet,"  in  which  Jefferson  took  the  char- 
acter of  the  grave-digger.  These  have  never  been  sur- 
passed in  America. 

An  entertaining  gleaning  is  that  respecting  "Fairfield 
race  track,"  situated  on  the  Mechanicsville  Turnpike. 
This  was  the  most  prominent  race  course  of  its  day  in  the 
State.  It  was  run  and  owned  by  a  Mr.  James  Talley, 
who  was  one  of  the  best  horsemen  in  Virginia.  When 
the  place  was  at  its  zenith  it  had  a  long  string  of  race 
horses  in  its  stables,  among  thern  being  some  of  the  most 
celebrated  the  world  has  ever  seen;  there  was  the  great 
racer,  and  sire  of  racers,  "Revenue,"  owned  by  Mr.  Botts; 
"Talley  Ho,"  owned  by  Mr.  Selden  C.  Mason;  "Engi- 
neer," a  splendid  grey;  " Red-Eye, "  sire  of  "Planet"; 
Martha  Washington,  "Iina"  and  many  others.  These  were 
the  very  flowers  of  the  thoroughbred  stock  of  the  South. 
Every  Sunday  evening  in  the  spring  of  the  year  the 
horses  were  exercised  around  the  course  and  were  given 
a  "right  sharp  brush."  Several  of  my  friends  and  I 
were  in  the  habit  of  going  out  and  viewing  them  while 
at  their  exercises  and  it  was  well  worth  the  while  to 
see  such  spurts  of  swift  speeding.  Truly  those  were  the 
palmy  days  of  racing,  and  they  will  never  again  be  re- 
viewed in  Virginia,  at  least  in  this  part  of  the  State,  for 
conditions  are  greatly  changed. 

I  recall  the  heaviest  fall  of  snow  one  spring  while  I  was 
living  in  Richmond  that  ever  took  place  in  the  memory 
of  the  oldest  inhabitants ;  it  commenced  on  a  Saturday 
night  and  fell  continuously  until  the  Monday  following. 
I  was  then  carrying  the  keys  to  the  store  of  Parker,  Nininio 
&   Co.,   and   had   to   open   the  house   with  the   assistance 


41 
of  the  porter.  We  had  to  dig  away  the  drift,  which  had 
reached  to  the  top  of  the  door,  before  we  could  even  see 
it,  let  alone  get  in  it.  On  that  Sunday  night  a  large  fire 
occurred  near  the  Old  Market  House.  It  was  so  bitterly 
cold  during  the  snow  spell  that  Doctor  Cox,  of  Chester- 
field county  was  frozen  to  death  just  as  he  was  about 
entering  the  gate  to  his  farm.  On  Monday  the  tempera- 
ture moderated  and  the  younger  ones  had  a  galla  time 
snow-balling  every  one  mounted  or  in  sleighs  that  passed 
on  the  main  streets;  each  corner  was  occupied  by  squads, 
who  pelted  them  without  mercy  or  hesitation. 

There  was  in  the  city  one  George  Washington  Todd, 
a  beacon  light  of  the  sporting  crowd.  He  was  a  man  of 
splendid  physique,  about  six  feet  two  inches  in  height  and 
built  in  proportion ;  possessing  a  fine  voice,  a  good  deal  of 
wit  and  humor  and  the  cheer  of  a  brass  monkey.  He 
had  no  moral  reputation  and  no  one  would  credit  him. 
On  a  certain  day  when  there  was  a  political  meeting  over 
on  the  Eastern  Shore,  Governor  Wise  was  one  of  the 
speakers,  and  after  the  speaking  was  over  Todd  walked  up 
to  the  Governor  and  passed  the  compliments  of  the  day 
thus :  Cousin  Henry,  how  are  you  to  day  ?  The  Governor 
replied  I  do  not  know  of  any  relationship  between  us. 
Todd  then  said,  now,  Governor,  were  you  not  born  in  Acco- 
mack. He  said  yes.  Well,  then,  as  I  was  also  born  in 
Accomack,  does  not  that  make  us  cousins?  The  cool 
effrontery  of  the  fellow  somewhat  astonished  the  Gov- 
ernor. 

A  noticeable  feature  was  the  elegant  jewelry  establish- 
ments. The  most  prominent  were  Mitchell  and  Tyler  and 
C.  Genet  &  Co.  Then  a  person  thought  they  could  not 
buy  a  reliable  article  unless  it  came  from  one  or  the  other 
store.     The  first  named,  Mitchell  and  Tyler,  enjoyed  a 


42 
very  large  and  paying  patronage.  In  their  employ  was 
a  gentleman  "by  the  name  of  Hicks,  who  was  at  the  head 
of  the  watch-repairing  department,  and  it  required  quite 
an  artist  in  that  line  to  fill  the  position,  as  then  the  simple 
American  watches  had  not  come  into  general  use,  for 
those  mostly  carried  were  of  Swiss  and  English  or  other 
foreign  makes.  This  gentleman  was  full  of  pleasing 
humor  and  wit,  and  as  he  was  in  the  front  of  the  store, 
when  a  person  would  enter  and  inquire  for  a  certain 
clerk  by  the  name  of  Christian,  he  would  jokingly  say 
that  in  the  rear  were  several  young  men,  some  members 
of  the  church,  but  whether  a  Christian  could  be  found 
among  them  he  could  not  say. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

I  was  attending  the  races  at  Fairfield  and  it  was  a 
field  day.  Of  course  there  was  a  large  crowd  present,  the 
gambling  stands  were  well  patronized,  as  usual  and  at 
one  particular  table  there  was  a  large  farmer  betting 
very  freely,  who  seemed  to  have  plenty  of  money,  and 
a  smart  fellow  who  lived  in  the  city  observed  the  way 
things  were  running,  for  every  time  the  farmer  put  down 
a  bet  the  dealer  would  win  and  raked  it  in.  So  after  that 
every  time  the  farmer  would  make  a  bet,  this  man  would 
put  one  down  opposite,  or  bet  against  him,  and  this  con- 
tinued until  the  farmer  had  exhausted  his  pile ;  the  Rich- 
mond man  winning  all  the  bets,  which  did  not  please  the 
dealer,  who  said  to  him,  ''Why  don't  you  let  an  honest 
man  make  a  living?"  The  man  saw  that  the  gambler 
was  fleecing  the  farmer,  and  he  had  coppered  and  won 
of  course,  thus  blocking  the  dealer's  game. 

President   James   Monroe's   remains   were   brought   to 


43 
Richmond  and  interred  in  Hollywood  Cemetery,  having 
as  an  escort  of  honor  the  famous  Seventh  Regiment  of 
New  York.  This  was  the  finest  volunteer  military  organ- 
ization that  I  ever  saw,  it  being  the  crack  corps  of  that 
city;  they  marched  like  a  machine,  their  alignment  was 
perfect ;  the  uniforms  were  grey  dress  coats.  The  hospi- 
tality of  the  people  of  the  city  was  extensive  and  moat 
cordial.  The  visitors  were  not  allowed  to  open  their 
pocketbooks  for  anything  purchasable ;  even  if  they  went 
in  for  a  cigar,  it  was  already  paid  for,  they  were  informed. 
Being  composed  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  Metropolis, 
gentlemen  all,  they  did  not  abuse  the  privileges  granted 
them  in  the  slightest  degree. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Most  important  events  were  just  on  the  eve  of  hap- 
pening. The  election  for  the  national  Presidency  was 
booming  in  the  near  future,  and  politics  were  attracting 
the  attention  of  the  whole  country.  The  two  main  parties 
which  were  confronting  each  other  were  the  Democratic 
on  the  one  side  and  on  the  other  the  Free  Soil  or  Abolition 
party  of  the  North,  which  had  united  and  formed  the 
Republican,  the  strength  of  which  latter  party  was  grow- 
ing stronger  every  day.  Its  platform  of  principles  was 
antagonistic  to  the  Democratic  party  and  to  the  Southern 
States  on  the  slavery  question.  In  November,  1859,  old 
John  Brown,  who  had  figured  conspicuously  in  the  fights, 
organized  a  hostile  gang  of  Abolitionists  and  came  down 
to  Virginia,  presumably  to  incite  the  negroes  against  their 
masters  and  urge  them  to  insurrection.  Their  field  of 
operation  was  in  the  county  of  Jefferson  and  adjoining 
one.     The  government  of  the  United  States   dispatched 


44 
Colonel  Robert  E.  Lee,  in  command  of  a  small  body  of 
marines,  to  capture  Brown  and  his  party  and  to  defeat 
his  diabolical  scheme.  The  fanatical  wretches  took  refuge 
in  the  engine  house  at  Harper's  Ferry.  They  were  then 
taken  to  Charlestown  and  placed  in  the  jail,  being  turned 
over  to  the  State  authorities  by  Colonel  Lee.  Governor 
Henry  A.  Wise  at  that  period  of  time  was  filling  the 
gubernatorial  chair,  and  he  immediately  dispatched  the 
military  companies  of  Richmond  to  the  scene  of  action, 
in  order  to  protect  the  citizens  in  this  critical  emergency. 
Indeed  it  was  the  real  beginning  of  the  great  war. 

Old  John  Brown,  the  leader  and  arch-conspirator  against 
the  peace  and  dignity  of  Virginia,  was  duly  tried  and 
summarily  executed.  Next,  one  Cook  was  tried,  who  was 
a  very  young  man  and  nephew  of  the  Governor  of  In- 
diana, who  employed  Senator  Daniel  Voorhies  to  defend 
him.  The  case  was  pathetic  in  the  extreme ;  many  persons 
in  court  were  moved  to  tears,  but  the  law  was  inexorable 
and  he  was  judged  guilty  and  shared  the  fate  of  his  leader. 
After  the  executions  the  military  returned  home.  The 
1st  Company  of  Howitzers  had  just  been  formed  and  or- 
ganized, and  on  this  occasion  acted  as  infantrymen.  The 
whole  country  was  then  in  a  great  state  of  excitement 
and  unrest.  In  a  short  time  the  nominations  for  the  Presi- 
dency would  be  made.  James  Buchanan,  of  Pennsylvania, 
was  the  President  then,  and  the  feeling  between  the  North 
and  the  South  was  becoming  more  and  more  intense,  and 
what  would  be  the  outcome  few  could  predict.  A  political 
storm  they  all  feared  was  to  culminate  in  a  dreadful,  cruel 
war  between  the  States. 

In  the  year  1860  the  Democratic  party  held  its  conven- 
tion in  the  city  of  Charleston,  S.  C.  It  divided  into  two 
section,   one  wing  nominated  John  C.  Breckinridge,   of 


45 
Kentucky,  as  their  standard  bearer,  and  the  other  put 
forward  as  their  nominee  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  of  Illinois. 
The  Whig  party  chose  John  Bell,  of  Tennessee,  to  lead 
it.  The  newly  formed  Republican  party  had  nominated 
Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois. 

The  canvass  was  conducted  with  force  and  vigor.  The 
Republicans  had  grown  in  numbers  and  strength  and 
presented  a  formidable  menace  to  the  South.  The  most 
strenuous  efforts  were  made  by  each  section  to  elect  its 
candidate ;  the  issue  was  great  and  clearly  defined.  In 
the  South  the  ablest  speakers  were  brought  out  to  present 
the  danger  which  threatened  the  institution  of  slavery 
in  the  success  of  the  Lincoln  party ;  yet  it  seemed  a  forlorn 
hope  to  expect  to  elect  Southern  Democrats  like  Breckin- 
ridge and  Lane,  as  there  were  two  other  Democratic  tickets 
in  the  field,  which,  of  course,  split  the  conservative  or 
Southern  vote,  while  the  North  or  Abolition  party  had 
only  one  ticket  in  the  field. 

The  Wigs  of  Richmond  had  built,  on  Fourteenth  and 
Franklin  Streets,  a  large  wooden  structure  capable  of 
seating  a  crowd — that  party  had  a  large  majority  in  the 
city — and  held  frequent  meetings  therein.  It  was  called 
the  "Wigwam."  I  well  remember  that  the  night  before 
the  election  Mr.  William  L.  Yancy  spoke  in  advocacy  of 
Breckinridge  at  the  Metropolitan  Hall,  on  Franklin  Street 
near  the  Exchange  Hotel.  Others  spoke  at  the  "Wig- 
wam" for  the  Douglass  ticket.  The  last  speaker  there 
was  A.  Judson  Crane.  The  evening  was  advancing  and 
the  audience  had  been  listening  for  hours  to  burning  words 
from  the  lips  of  gifted  orators,  and  well  do  I  recall  his 
closing  remark,  to-wit:  "It  makes  no  difference  for 
whom  you  vote,  as  before  the  sun  of  tomorrow  goes  down 
Abraham  Lincoln  will  have  been  elected  the  President 


46 
of  these  United  States."  This  prediction  proved  only  too 
true,  since  on  the  following  fourth  day  of  March  he  was 
inaugurated,  and  in  his  address  said  that  he  would  use 
all  the  men  at  his  command  to  bring  back  into  the  Union, 
by  force  of  arms  if  necessary,  the  seceding  Southern 
States.  This  was  truly  cold  comfort  for  the  Southern 
people.  John  Letcher  was  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  and 
the  General  Assembly  was  in  session,  which  drew  up  and 
passed  a  bill  for  the  calling  of  a  State  convention  that 
the  people  indorsed  by  a  large  majority.  Then  came  the 
most  important  part,  the  election  of  delegates  to  it. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  the  State  was  largely  Democratic, 
and  in  an  ordinary  election  for  State  offices  a  Whig  stood 
no  chance  of  election,  but  such  was  not  the  case  in  this 
one,  for  no  party  lines  were  brought  into  play  and  there- 
fore the  ablest  and  most  intellectual  men  were  selected, 
irrespective  of  party  affiliations.  This  important  meet- 
ing of  Virginians,  called  the  "Secession  Convention,"  as- 
sembled in  Richmond — the  building  used  for  its  sessions 
was  the  Mechanic's  Institute,  located  on  Ninth  Street 
between  Main  and  Franklin  Streets  and  then  occupied 
the  present  site  of  the  building  of  Ebel  and  Sons,  merchant 
tailors.  It  organized,  by  election,  Mr.  Janney,  of  Loudon 
county,  as  president,  an  old  line  Whig,  and  was  opposed 
to  secession  at  the  very  start.  Mr.  Eubank  was  made 
clerk. 

I  doubt  if  an  abler,  more  intellectual  and  patriotic  set 
of  men  were  ever  before  gathered  together  in  this  State 
for  the  discussion  of  a  subject  so  delicate  and  so  porten- 
tous. They  soemed  to  fully  realize  the  gravity  of  the  situa- 
tion that  confronted  the  old  Commonwealth.  The  con- 
vention was  divided  into  two  parts;  the  one  the  original 
secessionists,  who  were  in  favor  of  going  out  of  the  Union 


47 
at  once,  as  many  of  the  other  States  had  already  done, 
the  other  was  mainly  composed  of  old  line  Whigs,  who 
were  in  favor  of  preserving  the  Union  as  long  as  a  chance 
remained.  The  debates  in  the  convention  were  of  the 
most  absorbing  interest  to  the  whole  population,  and  even 
the  heads  of  the  commercial  houses  would  lea\re  them  in 
charge  of  clerks.  The  female  heads  of  families,  just  as 
soon  as  their  morning  duties  were  arranged,  would  repair 
to  the  Mechanic's  Institute  to  listen  to  the  speeches,  so 
supreme  was  the  general  interest  taken  in  the  outcome  of 
it.  And  it  was  not  at  all  surprising  that  such  was  the 
case,  for  it  was  a  most  momentous  era  in  our  history. 
Nobody  could  foretell  the  future  at  that  early  day.  The 
members  did  all  they  could  to  avert  civil  war.  Several 
delegates  were  sent  to  the  seat  of  government  at  Wash- 
ington to  endeavor  to  secure  a  peaceable  solution  of  the 
vexed  questions.  It  was  a  time  of  suspense  and  almost 
anguish;  the  Union  hung  as  by  a  thread  as  it  were,  and 
then  at  this  critical  juncture  the  President,  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, issued  his  celebrated  proclamation,  calling  upon  Vir- 
ginia, the  "Mother  of  States,  and  "of  the  Union,"  for 
seventy-five  thousand  men  as  her  quota  with  which  to 
assist  him  in  coercing,  by  military  force  of  arms,  her 
sister  States.  The  convention  did  not  hesitate  an  instant, 
it  promptly  passed  the  Ordinance  of  Secession  almost 
unanimously,  there  being  but  one  dissenting  voice.  With 
the  secession  of  this  State  the  last  gleam  of  hope  for  peace 
vanished  as  the  snow  flakes  before  the  rays  of  the  sun. 
The  Federal  government  had  sent  reinforcements  and 
provisions  for  a  siege  to  Fort  Sumter,  which  was  then 
commanded  by  Major  Anderson.  The  people  of  South 
Carolina  considered  this  a  declaration  of  war,  and  at  once, 
under  the  direction  of  General  Beauregard,  attacked  the 


48 
fort  and  caused  its  surrender.  This  was  the  beginning 
of  the  great  war  between  the  States  of  the  Union,  which 
was  to  call  to  the  front  every  true  Southerner  to  do  or 
die  for  the  South  land ;  it  was  the  first  clash  of  arms  in 
that  bloody  drama  which  was  to  last  for  four  long  years 
of  terror  to  the  people  of  Virginia,  and  the  sacrifice  of  the 
life's  blood  of  thousands  of  her  noblest  and  most  gallant 
sons.  Richmond,  with  her  open  gates  of  welcome  to 
the  splendid  troops  from  the  South  and  Southwest,  was 
the  rendezvous  of  all  the  soldiers  to  be  organized  hurry- 
ing to  the  front.  Everything  then  seemed  bright  and  all 
believed  the  war  would  soon  be  over. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Southern  ports  were  soon  blockaded  by  the  Federal 
vessels  of  war  and  the  South  then  had  to  rely  entirely 
upon  her  own  resources.  Excepting  a  few  articles,  such 
as  coffee  and  tea,  brought  in  through  the  blockade,  sub- 
stitutes were  found  for  each  of  these  articles. 

During  the  first  year  the  currency  of  the  Confederacy 
depreciated  but  little,  but  in  the  second  year  it  began  to 
go  down  in  value,  until  it  became  before  the  end  almost 
worthless.  Richmond,  in  spite  of  the  privations  of  the 
people,  was  gayer  and  more  brilliant  socially  than  it  ever 
was  since  or  before.  There  were  in  the  city  a  great  many 
refugees  from  all  parts  of  the  South,  which  formed  a 
social  element  that  made  a  delightful  society.  There  were 
dances  and  theater  parties  held  frequently ;  many  clerks, 
male  and  female,  employed  in  the  government  depart- 
ments; soldiers  on  furlough  from  the  army,  all  combined 
to  form  a  gay  company  of  ladies  and  gentlemen. 

General  Beauregard  was  in  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  as  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  was  in  the 


49 
Valley  of  Virginia  opposing  General  Patterson  of  the  Fed- 
eral forces.  The  first  battle  of  Manassas  was  fought  on 
the  21st  day  of  July,  1861,  this  being  the  first  big  fight 
of  the  war,  and  in  this  the  Southern  troops  were  com- 
pletely victorious,  driving  back  to  Washington  the  North- 
ern army  in  a  regular  panicstricken  mob.  This  victory 
buoyed  up  the  spirits  of  our  people  in  the  city  and  they 
did  not  fully  realize  the  gravity  of  the  war  until  it  had 
been  waged  sometime.  The  social  life  in  the  city  became 
more  pleasant  as  time  passed,  and  large  entertainments 
were  given  almost  every  night.  Mrs.  Randolph,  the  wife 
of  the  Secretary  of  "War,  who  was  one  of  the  leaders  in 
society  at  this  period,  lived  on  East  Franklin  Street,  two 
doors  from  the  residence  of  General  Lee's  family.  Her 
house  was  the  centre  of  social  attraction.  She  gave  theat- 
rical rehearsals  and  readings,  which  were  attended  by  the 
soldiers  who  were  in  the  city  en  route  to  and  from  the 
front  and  while  on  furlough. 

There  was  a  prominent  feature  of  nearly  every  family 
then,  which  was  the  open  house  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
soldiers,  sick  or  well,  all  of  whom  received  the  heartiest 
welcome  and  the  kindest  treatment.  I  recall  Mr.  James 
Gardner,  of  the  firm  of  Gardner,  Carlton  &  Co.,  whose 
house  was  headquarters  for  the  distinguished  artillery 
company  from  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  the  Washington 
Artillery,  as  well,  also,  for  other  Southern  soldiers.  Mr. 
Peyton  Johnston,  of  the  firm  of  P.  Johnston  and  Brother, 
kept  open  house  to  all  worthy  Confederates.  I  well  re- 
member meeting  there  a  unique  character,  a  Major  Atkins, 
of  the  cavalry  corps,  who  was  an  Irishman,  and  enjoyed 
the  soubriquet  of  "Charles  O'Malley. "  He  was  one  of 
the  finest  specimens  of  manhood  that  I  ever  beheld;  he 
was  about  six  feet  two  inches  in  height  and  well  pro- 


50 
portioned.  He  was  of  course  in  the  service  of  the  Con- 
federacy, but  was  unfortunately  called  to  his  home  in 
Ireland  before  the  close  of  the  war.  He  sent  his  young 
brother  to  take  his  place  in  the  Confederate  ranks,  joining 
Mosby's  men,  but  was  killed  shortly  after  joining. 

Of  the  newspapers  of  Richmond,  both  before  and  dur- 
ing the  war,  there  was  the  Equirer,  first  owned  and  edited 
by  Colonel  Thomas  Ritchie  and  afterwards  by  William  P. 
Ritchie.  Among  the  editors  were  Roger  A.  Pryor  and 
0.  Jennings  Wise.  This  sheet  before  the  war  was  the 
leading  Democratic  organ.  And  then  came  the  Richmond 
Whig,  edited  by  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway,  which  was  the 
organ  of  the  old  line  Whigs  of  Virginia;  and  then  the 
Dispatch,  owned  by  Mr.  Cowardin  and  edited  by  Messrs. 
Baldwin  and  Pleasants.  Next  I  mention  that  caustic  sheet 
the  Examiner,  owned  and  edited  by  John  M.  Daniel,  who 
was  one  of  the  most  sarcastic  writers  of  his  time,  whose 
criticisms  of  public  men  and  of  the  Confederate  govern- 
ment were  biting  and  severe. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  "Alexandria  Sentinel"  was  removed  to  Richmond 
at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  Of  course,  when  hostilities 
began  all  the  old  party  lines  in  politics  were  obliterated. 
They  were  only  to  be  found  and  known  as  the  Southern 
or  Secession  party  or  States  Rights  men.  The  armies  of 
the  Confederacy  were  achieving  success  in  nearly  every 
encounter,  while  the  North  was  making  tremendous  efforts 
to  fill  up  the  depleted  ranks  by  enlarging  the  drafts.  The 
South  meanwhile  was  also  putting  forward  all  her  limited 
resources  to  counteract  that  of  the  North,  and  yet  the 
Southern  cause  was  being  worn  out  day  by  day  by  the 


51 
forces  of  attrition.  Her  ports  being  closed  by  the  block- 
ade, she  was  becoming  exhausted  by  slow  degrees  being 
decimated  by  disease  and  lack  of  proper  nourishment,  as 
well  as  by  the  bullets  of  the  enemy.  So  when  the  strong 
attack  by  Grant  was  made  on  the  lines  around  Petersburg, 
the  thin  grey  line  gave  way,  was  forced  back  by  over- 
whelmning  numbers  and  began  its  final  retreat  to  the 
fatal  field  of  Appomattox,  where  General  Lee  sadly  signed 
articles  of  peace  and  surrender  of  the  remnant  of  the 
gallant  old  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 

The  Southern  people  had  fought  and  suffered  for  four 
long,  dreary  years  for  what  they  believed  was  right,  and 
there  was  no  unprejudiced  commentator  of  the  Constitu- 
tion who  did  not  give  the  South  the  right  to  secede  from 
the  sisterhood  of  States  when  her  rights  by  the  spirit  as 
well  as  the  letter  of  that  instrument  had  been  withheld 
and  denied  her. 

Now  that  the  surrender  had  taken  place  a  new  era 
confronted  the  people.  I  returned  from  the  field  of  sur- 
render and  stopped  at  Maynard's  farm,  where  the 
11  Soldiers'  Home"  now  is.  I  gave  my  parole  as  a  private 
in  the  1st  Company  of  Richmond  Howitzers.  After  reach- 
ing home  I  walked  down  Main  Street,  and  could  hardly 
recognize  my  surroundings.  The  great  conflagration 
which  ensued  at  the  evacuation,  had  left  a  mass  of  debrio 
impossible  to  imagine  or  describe  by  an  old  resident  of 
the  city.  The  South  was  now  a  conquered  country,  though 
never  recognized  as  a  government  de  Jure,  nor  de  facto 
by  the  Federals,  and  according  to  the  theory  advanced 
and  upheld  all  through  the  conflict  by  them,  we  should 
have  at  once  enjoyed  all  the  rights  which  belonged  to 
the  seceded  States  before  a  separation  occurred.  But  such 
was  never  the  case,  as  a  system  of  legislation  was  begun 


52 
that  was  a  blot  upon  the  civilization  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  I  allude  to  the  reconstruction  era  in  Virginia, 
which  period  has  been  depicted  by  several  writers.  As 
the  ashes  from  old  Virginia  arose  Phoenix  like  from  humil- 
iation and  re-established  her  State  government,  thereby 
enabling  her  to  get  rid  of  the  barnacles  which  had  nearly 
sapped  her  political  life  and  she  struggled  on  through 
many  trials  and  hindrances  until  at  last  each  year  brought 
new  evidences  of  substantial  success  and  prosperity.  New 
conditions  now  confronted  this  community,  as  before  the 
war  the  State  had  borrowed  large  amounts  of  money  to 
aid  her  infant  enterprizes  and  improvements,  which  by 
lapse  of  time  had  accumulated  in  interest  unpaid  a  con- 
siderable amount.  Then  there  sprung  up  the  Readjuster 
party,  and  its  opponent,  the  "Debt-paying''  or  McCullough 
party.  The  former  maintained  that  as  the  State  has 
emerged  from  the  conflict  of  arms  financially  ruined  and 
it  could  not  be  expected  to  pay  in  full  the  original  debt, 
but  should  be  allowed  to  scale  it  so  as  to  enable  the  State 
to  meet  her  obligations.  The  Funders  or  Debt-paying 
party  claimed  that  a  just  debt  should  be  paid  dollar  for 
dollar.  The  two  parties  went  before  the  people,  and  Gov- 
ernor Cameron  was  the  nominee  of  the  Readjusters  and 
John  Warwick  Daniel  was  the  Funder  candidate  for  the 
office  of  Governor,  and  the  Readjusters  won  and  Cam- 
eron was  elected  Governor  with  the  whole  legislature 
Readjusters.  With  the  election  of  a  Readjuster  State 
government  there  was  a  complete  change  in  the  whole  ad- 
ministration at  Richmond.  Not  a  single  "Funder"  or  Debt- 
payer  was  left  in  office ;  there  took  place  a  regular  clearance 
of  the  Augean  stables.  There  never  was  a  more  prosprictive 
party  formed.  General  Mahone  exercised  supreme  con- 
trol.   He  had  some  very  able  lieutenants  who  aided  him 


53 
in  carrying  out  his  drastic  policy.  The  British  bondhold- 
ers employed  Mr.  William  L.  Royall,  a  distinguished  law- 
yer of  this  city,  paying  him  a  large  salary  to  look  after 
their  interests.  He  kept  the  State  on  a  gridiron  by  at- 
tempting to  force  a  reception  of  coupons  cut  from  the 
bonds  as  payment  of  State  taxes.  These  coupons  were  of 
no  value  as  a  circulating  medium,  and  consequently 
would  deprive  the  State  of  all  means  of  carrying  on  the 
government  if  they  were  successful.  The  Funding  party, 
realizing  that  they  had  made  a  mistake  in  their  way  of 
settling  the  debt,  changed  front  and  adopted  the  Re- 
adjuster  theory  or  plan  of  scaling  down.  They  appointed 
a  committee  of  the  best  men  in  the  country,  with  ex-Presi- 
dent Grover  Cleveland  as  one,  to  formulate  a  settlment 
on  the  basis  of  the  Riddlebarger  bill.  The  creditors  ac- 
cepted the  terms  and  the  vexed  question  was  thus  for- 
ever settled,  at  least  so  far  as  Virginia  was  liable.  Mr. 
Royal  of  course  lost  thereby  his  lucrative  job.  The  Cen- 
tury bonds  were  issued  and  a  sinking  fund  set  aside  for 
the  payment  of  interest.  This  settlement  killed  the  Re- 
adjuster  party  and  the  offices  of  the  State  were  restored 
to  the  Conservative  party.  General  Mahone  and  his  lieu- 
tenants flopped  over  to  the  Republican  party.  Virginia 
has  been  steadily  prosperious  ever  since  then. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Virginia,  after  the  permanent  settlement  of  the  "debt 
question"  and  the  subject  was  finally  eliminated  from 
the  State  politics,  sprang  forward  upon  an  era  of  great 
prosperity  and  advancement,  which  continued  without  in- 
terruption until  the  "Free  Silver"  and  "16  to  1"  craze 
set  in  politics,  and  the  false  idea  that  sixteen  ounces  of 


54 
silver  was  always  equal  in  value  to  one  ounce  of  gold  took 
complete  possesion  of  the  field  throughout  the  State.  This 
was  one  of  the  delusions  championed  by  Mr.  William  Jen- 
nings Bryan,  one  of  the  most  plausible  and  eloquent 
stump  speakers  in  the  country.  He  threw  all  of  his  most 
forcible  energy  and  talent  into  the  attempt  to  convince 
the  people  that  it  was  the  panacea  for  all  the  ills  of 
humanity — it  was  his  idea  that  a  purely  economic  issue 
would  be  a  cure-all  for  all  the  woes  of  the  flesh. 

In  1894  William  Jennings  Bryan  was  nominated  by 
the  Chicago  Convention  upon  the  "Free  Silver"  platform. 
General  Simon  Bolivar  Buckner,  of  Kentucky,  with  Pal- 
mer, of  Illinois,  were  chosen  by  the  gold  standard  wing 
of  the  Democratic  party  as  the  standard  bearers  of  the 
Democracy.  William  S.  McKinley,  then  Governor  of  Ohio, 
was  the  nominee  of  the  Republicans,  also  on  a  gold  stand- 
ard platform  and  high  protective  tariff.  When  the  elec- 
tion was  held  that  fall,  the  "Free  Silver"  motion  was 
overwhelmingly  defeated  and  killed.  In  the  campaign 
Virginia  voted  largely  for  the  Bryan  ideas.  So  completely 
had  his  influence  infatuated  many  sober-minded,  good 
Democrats  that  they  considered  it  almost  treason  to  the 
party  in  one  who  did  become  misled  by  this  delusion. 
When  Lamb  was  nominated  for  Congress  in  the  Third 
District  of  Virginia  he  was  an  advocate  for  Free  Silver. 
A  few  nights  before  the  nominating  convention  came  off, 
I  met  Captain  George  D.  Wise  and  asked  him  how  he 
stood  on  the  question,  and  he  answered,  "I  am  a  Gold 
Standard  Democrat."  For  this  frank  avowal  I  have 
always  admired  him.  It  was  a  decisive  and  unequivocal 
stand  on  the  issue  which  was  then  at  its  height,  and  it 
cost  him  his  seat  in  Congress,  for  Captain  John  Lamb,  the 
opponent,  was  selected  and  afterwards  seated  as  the  mem- 


55 
ber  from  the  Third  District  of  Virginia — the  Richmond 
district. 

The  Honorable  Charles  T.  O'Ferral,  the  member  from 
the  Seventh  District  of  Virginia,  and  who,  with  the  aid 
of  Mr.  Randall,  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  by  their  skill  defeated  the 
infamous  Force  Bill  offered  by  Senator  Lodge,  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, which  was  antagonized  by  the  whole  South 
as  sectional  and  unjust  to  it.  Governor  O'Ferral  was 
almost  ostracised  by  his  party — that  is,  by  the  ring — be- 
cause he  would  not  subscribe  to  the  "Free  Silver,  16  to  1 
craze."  The  old  State  finally  emerged  from  this  veritable 
"Slough  of  Despond,"  and  its  motto  seems  to  be  "Ex- 
celsior" and  progress.  The  former  political  issue  of  gold 
or  silver  seems  to  be  side-tracked  and  does  not  appear  in 
the  platforms  of  any  party,  but  is  relegated  to  oblivion 
as  a  subject  of  politics,  and  it  is  to  be  devoutly  hoped  that 
it  will  remain  there  for  all  time  and  never  again  cause  so 
much  unnecessary  bitterness  and  division  in  the  old  party. 

The  State  being  relieved  to  a  great  extent  from  the 
handicap  resulting  through  the  late  canvass  and  excite- 
ment ;  though  her  Congressmen  and  the  State  officers  were 
elected  on  the  Free  Silver  platform,  yet  it  ceased  to  play 
a  part  in  the  policy  of  the  State  or  the  country  at  large. 

The  commercial  and  economic  status  of  the  old  Com- 
monwealth improved  every  day.  The  General  Assembly 
drew  up  a  bill  calling  upon  the  suffragans  of  Virginia 
to  decide  whether  a  convention  should  be  called  or  not. 
They,  the  voters,  decided  that  one  should  be  called,  where- 
upon the  Legislature  so  enacted,  and  the  election  was 
held.  In  the  year  1903  the  convention  to  frame  a  new 
Constitution  assembled  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates in  the  old  Capitol  in  the  city  of  Richmond.     They 


56 
were  confronted  with  a  great  many  intricate  and  difficult 
problems.  First  and  foremost  was  the  question  as  to  the 
best  manner  to  deal  with  the  negro  vote.  Next  in  im- 
portance was  the  creation  of  the  State  Corporation  Com- 
mission, or  Railroad  Supervision  Act.  Probably  no  mem- 
ber of  that  body  deserves  more  credit  for  the  establish- 
ment of  this  important  branch  of  Virginia's  judiciary 
system  than  Allen  Caperton  Braxton.  By  his  logical 
reasoning  and  indefatigable  energy  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  having  that  great  measure  passed.  There  were 
many  other  salutary  laws  framed  and  incorporated  in  the 
fundamental  body  of  the  State ;  which  has  put  the  conven- 
tion on  record  as  having  been  one  of  the  very  best  bodies 
of  men  ever  assembled  in  Virginia  for  the  important  duty 
of  forming  the  organic  law  of  this  old  Commonwealth. 
The  grand  work  accomplished  by  them  will  ever  be  duly 
appreciated  until  time  shall  be  no  more  and  forever  ceases. 
A  question  of  absorbing  interest  to  all  the  people  is 
the  temperance  issue.  A  large  and  influential  portion  of 
citizens  advocate  a  State-wide  or  general  prohibition  law. 
The  other  portion  oppose  it  strenuously.  In  the  Assembly, 
or  Legislature,  an  act  called  an  Enabling  Statute  was  in- 
troduced, which  proposed  to  put  before  the  voters  the 
question  whether  they  should  choose  for  State-wide  pro- 
hibition or  not,  and  upon  the  verdict  thus  rendered  it  was 
to  be  returned  to  the  Legislature  at  its  next  session  for 
its  final  action,  on  the  principle  of  the  Initial  and 
Referendum. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  American  people  are  upon  the  eve  of  a  Presidential 
canvass  and  election.  The  issues  are  vital  and  most  im- 
portant and  are  clearly  defined. 


57 

Governor  of  New  Jersey,  the  Honorable  Woodrow  Wil- 
son, is  at  this  writing — August,  1912 — the  chosen  standard 
bearer  of  the  Democracy,  whose  platform  of  nation-wide 
issues  contain  the  soundest  principles  of  a  true  Republi- 
can form  of  government  ever  devised  by  mankind.  The 
cardinal  or  main  feature  of  it  is  the  revision  of  the  present 
tariff  downward ;  in  other  words  a  reduction  of  the  same 
down  to  a  revenue  basis. 

The  present  President,  Honorable  William  H.  Taft,  is 
the  nominee  of  the  regular  Republican  party,  which  party 
platform  advocates  a  high  protective  tariff,  which  has 
resulted  in  building  up  trusts  in  nearly  everything  and 
advancing  greatly  the  costs  of  living. 

On  the  5th  day  of  November,  1912,  the  election  will  take 
place,  when  the  people  of  the  United  States  of  North 
America  will  decide  whether  the  theories  of  the  Democ- 
racy or  those  of  the  Republican  party  shall  be  the  best 
for  their  interests  and  national  welfare.  The  lines  are 
now  clearly  drawn  and  all  good  Virginians  are  deeply 
interested  in  the  result  of  the  great  battle  of  ballots. 

To  return  in  retrospect  and  compare  the  present  with 
the  past,  the  individual  then  sees  the  changes  made  by 
the  passage  of  time.  I  well  remember  when  Mr.  Cyrus  W. 
Field,  the  promoter  of  the  Atlantic  Cable,  was  considered 
a  regular  crank,  or  semi-lunatic,  for  such  unpractical  ideas 
as  he  advanced.  Now  nearly  every  part  of  the  globe  is 
connected  by  submarine  cables.  Take  up  the  numerous 
inventions  and  discoveries  of  "Edison,  the  great  wizard 
of  electricity,"  and  regard  the  chaining  of  lightning  by 
man,  making  it  a  motive  power,  and  an  illuminator  for 
dispelling  the  darkness  of  the  past,  as  to  its  many  uses 
for  mankind.  Take  the  railroad  engines,  which  were  a 
few  years  since  small  affairs,  and  the  small  and  light 


58 
wooden  cars  hauled  by  them,  and  contrast  them  with  the 
palatial  trains  built  of  steel  and  the  mammoth  locomotives 
that  now  draw  them  ov,  the  heavy  100-pound  rails  at  the 
rate  of  sixty  miles  per  hour.  Note  the  buildings  in  the 
great  cities  called  "skyscrapers,"  which  rise  almost  to 
the  clouds,  and  the  many  other  improvements  in  archi- 
tectural steel  structures,  as  the  splendid  bridges  of  that 
material  that  span  large  streams  and  bridge  at  dizzy 
heights  ravines  and  mountain  gorges.  Fifty  years  ago 
the  total  population  of  Richmond  was  only  about  forty 
thousand  souls,  while  today — 1912 — it  is  nearly  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  thousand  all  told. 

Thus  we  see  what  tremendous  changes  are  produced 
by  the  passage  of  "resistless  time,"  which  even  the  most 
far-sighted  human  being  could  hardly  imagine  or  predict. 
Now  who  can  safely  foretell  what  may  happen  within 
the  next  half  century?  Nearly  every  day  science  is  bring- 
ing to  light  marvelous  inventions  in  the  industrial  world, 
and  the  swift  strides  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  every- 
day life  of  the  human  family  is  most  remarkable.  Fearful 
accidents  and  awful  calamities,  destructive  of  life  and 
property,  follow  each  other  almost  equal  to  views  of  the 
kaleidoscope  in  suddenness  and  variety.  Truly  is  this  a 
wonderful  period  of  the  world's  existence. 

A  striking  feature  of  the  great  commercial  advance  of 
the  United  States  is  its  vast  increase  in  the  railroad  con- 
nections, which  now  penetrate  the  remotest  sections, 
bringing  them  into  touch  with  all  the  large  centres  of 
trade  and  commerce.  That  great  artery  of  business,  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad  stretches  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
to  the  great  ocean  on  the  west  coast,  the  Pacific.  And 
now,  as  I  write,  in  but  a  short  time  hence  the  famous 
canal,  the  Panama,  which  will  draw  in  the  tides  of  the 


59 
Atlantic  and  discharge  them  into  the  Pacific,  for  the  first 
time  in  history,  will  be  in  operation,  owing  to  the  indom- 
itable energy  and  skill  of  Americans.  And  also  regard 
the  wonderful  achievements  in  the  aerial  world,  the  art 
of  flying  by  men.. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  individual  views  with  wonder  and  almost  awe  the 
great  events  which  the  evolution  of  time  has  produced. 
If  things  are  such  in  this,  the  twentieth  century  of  the 
Christian  era,  what  may  the  next  one  show  forth  to  the 
eyes  and  imaginations  of  mortals?  Can  any  person  now 
living  even  speculate  ?  There  are  a  few  who  predict  reve- 
lations in  the  invisible  world,  or  the  spiritual  life,  and 
who  can  say  nay  to  it,  in  the  light  of  discoveries  and 
development  of  the  present  age  ?  Time  only  can  tell  what 
the  veil  of  the  future  now  hides  from  human  view. 

A  prominent  element  of  Richmond's  professional  status 
was  its  legal  bar,  as  its  lawyers  comprised  many  of  the 
ablest  attorneys  in  the  State.  Among  the  most  prominent 
ones  of  the  ante-bellum  period  were  Mr.  James  Lyons,  Sr., 
Jno.  M.  Gregory,  Raleigh  T.  Daniel,  John  Howard,  Alex- 
ander H.  Sands,  Edward  and  Henry  Cannon,  Messrs.  John- 
son, Griswold,  Claiborne,  Howison,  August,  Randolph, 
Littleton,  Tazewell,  Marmaduke,  Johnson  and  many 
others,  who  shed  a  lustre  upon  their  distinguished  pro- 
fession of  the  law.  The  bar  of  Virginia  has  always  ranked 
as  the  highest  in  the  land,  and  not  even  excelled  in  ability 
by  that  of  the  old  Mother  Country,  England.  There  were 
two  lawyers  who  were  conspicuous  men  for  their  home- 
liness. One  was  Mr.  Joseph  Carrington,  of  Richmond,  the 
other  was  William  Wallace  Day,  of  Manchester,  Va.     A 


60 
dispute  having  arisen  as  to  which  was  the  uglier  of  the 
two,  and  as  it  was  very  difficult  to  say  which  was,  so  the 
friends  of  each  agreed  to  appoint  a  committee  to  decide 
the  matter,  and  the  one  who  was  adjudged  to  be  the 
uglier  by  it  was  to  receive  a  prize  of  a  fine  penknife.  The 
prize  knife  fell  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  Day  as  the  successful  con- 
testant, and  accordingly  it  was  handed  him  as  the  award 
of  not  beauty,  but  of  plain  features  at  least,  if  not  down- 
right ugliness.  Both  of  these  worthy  gentlemen  were 
prominent  and  successful  lawyers  of  the  Kichmond  bar. 

The  annexation  to  Richmond  of  the  several  adjacent 
towns  has  added  greatly  to  the  population  and  proved  a 
decided  benefit  to  each.  The  former  city  of  Manchester, 
which  was  for  a  long  time  an  independent  corporation 
(even  said  to  be  older  than  Richmond  as  a  town),  was 
lately  joined  to  its  sister  city  over  the  James  River  and 
is  now  called  "Washington  ward,  or  more  properly  speak- 
ing, "South  Richmond."  It  is  now  rapidly  advancing  in 
prosperity  and  is  also  improving  in  appearance  in  streets 
and  parks.  Consolidation  or  merger  of  interests  and  co- 
operation seems  to  be  the  spirit  of  modern  times  and  of 
the  age  of  commerce  and  money-making. 

Before  the  war  Richmond  banks  formed  a  very  import- 
ant element  of  its  business  equipment.  The  old  Exchange 
Bank  occupied  the  building  at  present  the  home  of  the 
First  National,  between  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Streets  on 
Main,  but  which  last  named  one  will  soon  be  removed  to 
its  new  home,  southwest  corner  Main  and  Ninth  Streets — 
nineteen  stories  high.  Then  comes  next  in  rank  the 
Farmers  Bank,  and  then  the  Bank  of  Virginia,  and  the 
Bank  of  the  Commonwealth.  A  good  deal  of  banking  was 
transacted  by  private  bankers,  such  as  C.  W.  Purcell  &  Co., 
Sutton,  Enders  &  Co.,  Goddin,  Harrison  &  Co.    These  were 


61 
all  first-class  and  model  institutions  in  their  line,  and  oc- 
cupied a  high  place  in  the  business  world  of  the  city. 

One  of  the  unique  characters  in  the  State  was  the  cele- 
brated Parson  Massie,  as  he  was  always  called,  though 
he  was  a  full-fledged  politician  of  the  Readjuster  period 
and  was  an  efficient  aid  to  General  William  Mahone.  When 
the  debt  settlement  was  made,  he  returned  to  the  Old 
Democratic  fold.  The  "Parson"  was  truly  one  of  the  most 
plausible  and  eloquent  speakers  on  the  Hustings.  No 
man  in  Virginia  was  more  perfectly  conversant  with  all 
the  issues  of  the  day,  and  there  lived  none  who  could 
"rattle"  or  disconcert  him,  for  his  extraordinary  coolness 
and  his  undoubted  courage  always  discomforted  his  op- 
posers.  He  was  elected  and  became  the  head  of  the  whole 
school  system  of  Virginia  for  many  years. 

Among  the  military  companies  of  the  city  was  the  old 
Richmond  Light  Infantry  Blues,  the  organization  of  which 
dates  back  almost  to  Colonial  times,  and  whose  military 
record  is  as  bright  and  efficient  as  a  Damascus  blade.  It 
was  commanded  by  officers  whose  memory  will  be  revered 
and  honored  as  long  as  time  lasts.  I  can  recall  the  names 
of  some  as  Captains  Bigger,  Patton,  0  'Jennings,  Wise,  and 
its  war  captain,  Levy.  Since  the  War  between  the  States, 
it  has  been  reorganized  and  formed  into  a  battalion  of 
three  companies.  It  still  retains  its  former  and  ancient 
prestige  gained  in  the  past,  and  is  justly  regarded  as  one 
of  the  best  military  commands  to  be  found  anywhere.  The 
personel  of  this  old  crack  corps  is  A  No.  1.  No  higher 
class  young  men  are  enrolled  in  any  companies.  Next 
comes  the  old  Richmond  Grays,  one  of  the  best-drilled 
companies  in  the  State.  The  material  of  which  this  was 
composed  was  unsurpassed  in  Richmond  and  its  appear- 


62 
ance   on  the   streets   always  elicited  special   notice   and 
praise. 

Then  came  the  Young  Guard  of  the  Commonwealth, 
commanded  by  Captain  John  Richardson.  This  company 
always  received  praise  for  its  soldierly  bearing,  for  to 
see  this  body  of  young  men  marching  in  open  order  down 
Main  Street  was  a  sight  well  worth  seeing. 

Then  I  mention  Company  F,  which  was  commanded  by 
Captain  R.  Milton  Carey,  which  was  another  of  Rich- 
mond's crack  companies,  being  composed  of  the  very  elite 
of  the  city,  and  always  reflected  great  credit  on  its  native 
city.  Then  next  I  recall  the  Richmond  Fa}^ette  Artillery, 
Captain  Clopton,  which  was  the  only  company  of  artillery 
in  the  city. 

Another  prominent  infantry  company  was  the  "Walker 
Light  Guards.  This  was  organized  by  Captain  Walker, 
but  a  short  time  before  the  war  and  it  made  a  fine  record 
during  the  war  between  the  States,  being  considered  one 
of  the  very  best  commands  in  the  Fifteenth  Virginia  Regi- 
ment. A  large  and  fine  cavalry  company  called  the  Rich- 
mond Troop  added  much  to  the  city's  reputation  for  its 
military  organization,  as  it  was  drilled  and  commanded 
by  an  ex-West  Point  graduate,  Captain  C.  Q.  Tompkins, 
who  was  a  splendid  officer  and  made  his  troop  a  model 
cavalry  company. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A  striking  evidence  of  the  progress  in  Virginia  of  its 
agricultural  progress  is  the  extensive  plant  of  the  Virginia- 
Carolina  Chemical  Works.  The  main  offices  are  in  Rich- 
mond and  the  works  are  located  near  the  city.  The 
different  fertilizers,  which  are  varied  and  adapted  to  all 
important  crops  in  the  South,  are  distributed  all  over  the 


63 
country  through  its  many  agencies  in  all  the  largest  cities. 
It  is  said  that  by  the  application  of  these  to  the  soil,  that 
two  blades  of  grass  will  spring  up  where  but  one  grew 
before.  Thus  causing  almost  worn  out  fields  to  put  on 
a  grass  sward  and  then  heavy  crops  of  tobacco  and  other 
products.  This  beneficial  aid  to  nature  appeals  to  the 
farmers  and  encourages  them  to  never  despair,  but  to 
always  resort  to  the  excellent  fertilizers  which  are  made 
and  adapted  to  each  crop  by  the  reliable  Virginia-Carolina 
Chemical  Company,  and  then  his  plantation  will  always 
yield  a  large  and  remunerative  increase  over  its  former 
productions. 

Among  the  pleasant  and  interesting  customs  of  the  past, 
was  the  regular  habit  of  Virginians  to  gather  together 
just  before  important  elections  and  hold  barbecues,  which 
were  always  well-gotten  up  and  carried  out  by  a  commit- 
tee appointed  for  the  purpose,  who  attended  to  the  cook- 
ing; there  was  always  a  quarter  of  fat  beef,  and  a  whole 
mutton  barbecued  to  a  turn,  and  when  dinner  was  an- 
nounced the  political  speakers  adjourned  the  meeting  un- 
til the  crowd  had  partaken  generously  of  the  meats  and 
also  of  the  good  toddies  furnished  freely  to  the  voters  as- 
sembled on  the  festive  occasion. 

And  when  dinner  was  all  over,  the  orators  would  re- 
sume their  pleas  for  votes.  The  last  barbecue  of  this  ex- 
tensive sort  that  I  remember  attending  was  at  the  Drewry 
Mansion,  near  Manchester.  It  was  a  very  delightful  place 
for  such  a  meeting  of  suffragans;  it  being  a  handsome 
dwelling  in  a  beautiful  grove  of  stately  old  oak  trees, 
commanding  from  an  eminence  a  magnificent  view  of  the 
plantation  and  the  winding  James  River  below.  Among 
the  speakers  on  the  occasion  were  George  D.  Wise  and 


64 
Richard  Beirne,  who  pleased  every  man  present  and  all 
returned  home  well  satisfied  with  the  whole  outing. 

Among  the  well-known,  characters  of  Richmond  was 
one  George  Dabney  Wootton,  who  came  here  before  the 
war  and  was  employed  by  the  South,  a  newspaper  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  Roger  A.  Pryor,  and  when  the  paper  was 
discontinued  he  scraped  together  a  smattering  of  what  he 
thought  was  law,  and  hung  out  his  shingle  at  the  police 
court.  Many  people  credited  him  with  having  "rats"  in 
his  head.  One  thing  is  certain,  the  man  possessed  inordi- 
nate self-reliance,  or  "brass,"  as  it  is  called.  He  adver- 
tised a  good  deal  in  the  newspapers  and  a  certain  "Western 
man,  who  read  his  "ads,"  came  on  to  the  city  with  a  good 
fat  case  of  law,  involving  a  large  amount  of  money,  which 
he  placed  in  Wooten's  hands,  but  subsequently  finding  that 
it  would  not  be  safe  under  Dabney 's  skill,  in  other  words 
he  was  not  qualified  to  manage  so  large  a  case,  he  sent 
and  offered  him  a  nice  sum  of  money  if  he  would  give  up 
the  matter,  but  the  learned  attorney  declined  to  withdraw 
from  the  case,  and  said  that  he  proposed  to  go  through 
with  it.  His  client  then  had  to  employ  assistant  counsel, 
and  obtained  the  legal  service  of  Col.  James  Lyons,  one  of 
the  most  eminent  lawyers  of  the  bar  of  Virginia,  Of  course 
that  settled  it  so  far  as  Mr.  Wootten  was  concerned. 

I  remember  several  years  ago,  when  Mr.  Isador  Rayner, 
the  United  States  Senator  from  Maryland,  spoke  at  the 
Academy  of  Music,  upon  the  subject  of  the  tariff.  Now, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  this  is  a  generally  dull  subject,  con- 
sisting of  so  much  detail,  and  so  many  statistics  and  fig- 
ures. But  on  this  occasion  it  was  quite  the  reverse  of  dull, 
for  he  discussed  this  intricate  question  in  such  an  interest- 
ing manner  that  our  attention  was  rivetted  throughout  the 
address,  and  every  listener  was  charmed  from  the  begin- 


65 
ning  to  the  finish.     It  was  indeed  one  of  the  very  finest 
speeches  that  I  ever  heard. 

A  prominent  and  remarkable  man  was  in  his  day,  Mr.  Jo- 
seph Mayo,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Lambert  as  the  chief  magis- 
trate or  mayor  of  Richmond  ;  he  was  a  good  lawyer,  indeed 
one  of  renown,  and  the  author  of  the  celebrated  work  called 
"Mayo's  Guide,"  a  book  of  high  standing,  and  an  author- 
ity at  the  bar  for  all  legal  forms  used  in  the  Richmond 
courts.  At  that  time  the  Mayor  performed  the  office  of 
police  judge,  and  well  I  do  recall  seeing  him  seated  in  his 
big  chair  with  all  the  high  dignity  of  a  Roman  senator; 
he  was  always  dressed  in  a  blue  dress  coat  with  brass  but- 
tons and  ruffled  shirtbosom.  He  dispensed  even  handed 
justice,  and  was  a  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Richmond. 

When  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia,  under  General 
Robert  E.  Lee,  was  fighting  at  Spotsylvania  Courthouse; 
occurred  the  battle  at  New  Market,  between  the  Confed- 
erate forces  under  General  Jno.  C.  Breckenridge,  and  those 
under  the  Northern  General  Siegel.  When  Grant  with- 
drew his  lines  of  battle  General  Lee  marched  on  parallel 
lines  to  Grant's.  We  stopped  at  Hanover  Junction  and 
there  sharp  skirmishing  took  place.  The  railroad  train 
conveying  the  cadets  of  the  Virginia  Military  Institute 
stopped  a  short  time,  and  T  went  on  board  and  inquired 
if  Cadet  George  Kennon  Macon,  my  brother,  was  aboard 
the  train,  and  the  answer  was,  to  my  distress,  that  he  was 
not,  as  he  had  been  wounded  in  that  celebrated  charge  of 
the  cadets  at  New  Market,  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  by 
a  canister  shot  passing  through  his  arm,  and  he  had  to  be 
left  behind  under  the  care  of  those  kind  and  skillful  sur- 
geons of  the  corps— Doctors  George  Ross,  and  Marshall. 
Caotain  Miles  C.  Macon,  of  the  Fayette  Artillery,  my 
brother,  also,  was  then  just  recovering  from  a  spell  of 


66 
typhoid  fever,  which  had  prevented  his  being  in  the  en- 
gagement at  the  front,  went  up  to  the  valley  and  brought 
our  wounded  brother  down  to  our  mother's  home  in  Rich- 
mond, and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  everything  that  love 
and  sympathy  could  suggest  or  inspire  was  employed  to 
relieve  his  pain  and  hasten  his  recovery.  He  was  the  idol 
of  the  family,  and  his  wound  was  attended  to  by  that  most 
skillful  surgeon  Doctor  Petticolas.  It  was  an  ugly  wound 
and  he  suffered  from  it  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

The  brilliant  charge  of  those  young  boys — cadets — at 
the  severe  fight  of  New  Market,  forms  one  of  the  bright- 
est pages  of  military  glory,  and  in  all  history  there  has 
never  been  its  equal.  Their  steady,  stoical  bravery  at  the 
crisis  of  the  battle,  under  circumstances  and  surroundings 
that  staggered  the  old  veterans.  As  these  gallant  youths 
moved  across  the  field  in  the  face  of  a  withering  fire  of 
artillery  concentrated  on  them,  they  were  literally  mowed 
down,  but  their  ranks  were  filled  up  as  cooly  as  if  they 
were  on  parade,  and  they  never  faltered  in  their  charge 
until  they  had  captured  the  guns  before  them.  This  was, 
as  often  written,  one  of,  if  not  the  most  striking  achieve- 
ments, of  the  great  war  between  the  States.  Many  have 
blamed  the  commandant  of  the  institute,  General  Smith, 
for  allowing  the  boys  to  be  carried  to  the  front,  though 
he  had  no  option  in  the  matter ;  it  was  a  case  of  emergency ; 
of  salvation  to  the  army,  and  indeed  of  safety  to  the  in- 
stitute, and  accordingly  General  Breckenridge  called  forth 
the  corps,  and  they  were  eager  for  the  fray,  and  proved 
their  mettle. 

A  gleaning  of  significance  was :  A  certain  lady  was  the 
fortunate  possessor  of  two  sons  whose  ages  were  respec- 
tively twelve  and  fourteen  years;  these  boys  were  once 
invited  to  a  juvenile  party,  their  mother  having  provided 


67 
them  new  roundabouts  with  plain  brass  buttons  and  trous- 
ers to  match  with  well  starched  collars,  their  faces  having 
been,  of  course,  washed  clean,  and  the  chaps  were  well 
dressed  and  smart  looking.  Before  parting  with  them, 
when  they  were  leaving  home  for  the  entertainment,  their 
mother,  after  carefully  inspecting  them,  said,  now  boys 
you  are  both  big  fools,  and  now  don't  you  open  your 
mouths  while  at  this  party.  The  host  of  the  entertainment 
came  to  them  and  complimented  their  behaviour  and  ap- 
pearance, and  inquired  about  their  mother.  The  boys 
looked  directly  at  one  another,  but  remained  as  dumb  as 
oysters  in  the  shells.  Their  hostess  fared  no  better,  and 
received  no  satisfaction  when  she  kindly  inquired  of  them 
about  their  parent.  As  she  left  the  boys  she  remarked, 
well  those  are  certainly  the  greatest  dunces  that  I  have 
ever  seen.  They  overheard  her  remark,  and  one  of  them 
said  to  the  other  brother,  they  have  found  us  out.  Let  us 
go  home.  Those  very  boys  afterwards  developed  into  in 
telligent  men.  It  was  truly  wrong  in  their  parent  to  thus 
discourage  her  boys  on  their  first  start  into  society;  she 
should  have  taken  an  optimistic  view  of  the  matter,  as  the 
final  result  proved,  as  they  both  grew  up  to  be  well  in- 
formed members  of  society. 

A  characteristic  feature  of  the  period  of  the  time  in 
which  I  am  engaged  writing,  is  the  friendly  relations  now 
existing  between  the  sections  of  the  country;  the  North 
and  the  South.  Nearly  half  a  century  has  elapsed  since 
the  surrender  at  Appomattox.  All  the  acrimony  engen- 
dered by  the  late  strifie,  has  ceased.  The  bone  of  conten- 
tion, the  "Slavery  Question,"  which  once  divided  the 
States,  no  longer  exists,  and  now  we  see  the  Southern  girl 
marrying  the  Northern  beau,  and  the  Northern  knight 
wooes  and  weds  the  Southern  heroine,  and  thus  results 
a  commingling  of  blood  and  interests. 


68 

During  the  winter  just  preceding  the  great  war  between 
the  States,  a  Miss  Duryea,  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Duryea, 
of  New  York,  was  making  a  visit  to  my  brother-in-law 
and  his  family,  Mr.  Peyton  Johnston,  of  Richmond,  they 
being  strong  mutual  friends.  The  colonel  consented  to  her 
visiting  in  Richmond,  and  she  was  a  very  attractive  young 
lady,  and  as  I  was  at  the  time  a  young  man,  I  was,  to  some 
extent,  drawn  to  her.  I  well  remember  that  she  played  a 
good  game  of  single-hand  euchre,  and  that  we  had  many 
pleasant  games  together.  She  left  for  the  North  just  before 
the  beginning  of  the  war.  Her  father  commanded  the 
Duryea  Zouaves. 

A  unique  character  of  the  city  was  one  Captain  John 
Freeman,  who  commanded  one  of  the  passenger  boats 
between  West  Point,  Va.,  and  the  City  of  Baltimore.  He 
was  a  great  epicure,  and  was  noted  for  providing  the 
best  meals  on  his  steamer  of  any  one  of  the  line,  and  pas- 
sengers to  and  from  Baltimore  and  Virginia  deemed  them- 
selves fortunate  when  they  found  themselves  his  guests 
for  the  trip  on  the  York  River  and  the  Chesapeake  Bay 
route.  The  genial  old  sailor  had,  by  good  feeding,  ac- 
quired a  fine  front  of  genuine  aldermanic  proportions.  A 
certain  man  once  approached  him  and  remarked  that  he 
could  give  him  a  receipt  which,  if  he  would  follow  well, 
would  reduce  his  stomach  to  its  normal  size  within  thirty 
days.  The  captain  listened  attentively  to  him,  and  then 
he  replied,  "My  good  friend,  it  has  taken  me  about 
thirty-five  years  and  several  thousand  dollars  to  obtain 
the  generous  front  that  I  have,  and  now  you  come  and 
tell  me  how  to  get  rid  of  it  in  thirty  days  or  so,  after  all 
my  time  and  money  has  been  spent  in  acquiring  it.  Now, 
my  dear  sir,  I  must  most  respectfully  decline  to  make  use 
of  your  receipt." 


&) 

During  the  war  between  the  States  a  certain  quarter- 
master with  the  rank  of  major,  whose  duty  never  took  him 
outside  Richmond  in  extremely  hot  weather,  when  the 
mercury  in  July  ranged  from  ninety  to  ninety-five  degrees, 
had  a  negro  boy  whose  sole  employment  was  to  fan  him 
and  keep  off  the  flies.  Now,  this  worthy  official  of  the 
Army  of  the  Confederacy  always  thought  himself  to  be  one 
of  the  hardest  worked  men  in  the  service.  Peace  to  his 
ashes;  he  has  long  since  "passed  over  to  the  other  side  of 
the  river." 

A  time  of  great  interest  to  the  Virginians  in  the  past, 
was  the  exhibition  of  the  annual  State  Fair,  when  almost 
every  farmer  and  family  came  to  Richmond  during  the 
month  of  October  to  attend  it.  They  would  put  off  until 
then  to  do  the  shopping  and  trading  for  the  fall  and  winter. 
The  city  would  then  be  thronged  with  the  visitors  from 
almost  everywhere.  All  the  hotels  and  boarding  houses 
were  then  filled,  and  all  hands  bent  upon  seening  and  being 
seen,  would  flock  out  to  the  Fair  Grounds.  At  night  the 
Mechanic's  Institute  was  open  and  filled  with  machinery 
and  mechanical  products.  The  Fair  Grounds  were  situat- 
ed then  at  now  the  corner  of  Main  and  Belvidere  Streets, 
which  had  been  used  during  the  war  as  Camp  Lee.  It 
is  now  the  beautiful  spot  called  Monroe  Park. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

One  of  the  most  important  insurance  companies  in  the 
city  is  the  Virginia  Fire  and  Marine.  This  old  and  strong 
institution  antedates  the  great  war,  and  its  officers  were 
at  one  time  as  follows:  President,  Mr.  Thomas  Alfriend; 
secretary,  W.  L.  Cowardin,  who  afterwards  became  the 
president.  At  this  writing — the  year  1912 — Colonel  Wil- 
liam IT.  Palmer  is  the  president  and  Mr.  W.  H.  McCarthy 


70 
is  the  secretary.  It  has  a  corps  of  efficient  clerks  and  its 
business  is  vast,  and  constantly  increasing.  The  prestige 
and  conservative  mode  of  doing  business  of  this  model 
fire  company,  commend  it  to  the  confidence  of  the  insur- 
ing public. 

A  unique  man  of  Chesterfield  county  was  a  certain  Mr. 
W.  B.  C,  who  was  considered  the  best  set-back  player  in 
Manchester,  and  could  play  longer  on  a  small  capital,  or 
"stake,"  than  could  be  found  anywhere.  He  took  few 
chances  in  "bidding,"  but  when  he  offered  so  many  points 
for  his  hand,  the  board  of  players  deemed  it  advisable  to 
let  him  have  all  the  points  that  he  claimed,  as  he  was  sure 
in  the  end  to  score  them  all.  He  was  a  very  genial,  pleas- 
ant companion,  and  he  was  welcomed  in  a  game. 

Many  of  the  landmarks,  in  the  matter  of  buildings,  have 
been  torn  down  and  thus  removed,  and  in  their  places  more 
modern  ones  erected  in  Richmond.  For  instance,  the  old 
Swan  Tavern,  which  stood  on  Broad  between  Eighth  and 
Ninth  Streets.  In  its  day,  before  the  war,  it  was  a  famous 
hostelry.  It  was  there  that  the  celebrated  trial  of  the 
notorious  Aaron  Burr  was  held.  Burr  had  been  indicted 
by  the  federal  court  for  high  treason  against  the  United 
States  government,  in  attempting,  by  filibustering  means, 
to  inaugurate  a  separate  government  in  the  then  new 
Southwestern  States.  Very  able  legal  talent  was  en- 
gaged in  this  case,  among  whom  was  Mr.  Jno.  AVickham, 
Luther  Martin  and  several  others  of  national  reputation. 
Chief  Justice  John  Marshall  presided  at  this  trial.  Mr. 
Burr  was  acquitted.  He  had  been  for  several  years  an 
important  figure  in  American  politics  and  history,  and  had 
been  a  candidate  for  the  nomination  of  the  Federal  or 
Whig  party  against  Mr.  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  nominee 
of  the  Republican-Democratic  party.    In  the  election  that 


71 
fall  there  was  a  tie  vote  in  the  electorial  college,  and  in 
consequence  the  election  was  thrown  into  the  House  of 
Representatives  at  Washington.  The  leader  of  the  Fed- 
eral party,  Alexander  Hamilton,  gave  the  deciding  vote 
which  elected  Mr.  Jefferson  as  the  President  of  the  United 
States. 

This  embittered  Mr.  Burr  towards  Mr.  Hamilton,  and 
he  made  a  most  severe  personal  attack  upon  him  through 
the  newspapers.  This  drew  from  Hamilton  a  challenge 
to  mortal  combat  on  the  field  of  honor  and  resulted  in  the 
death  of  the  latter  by  the  bullet  of  Burr's  pistol. 

Alexander  Hamilton  was  considered  by  many  as  one 
of  the  greatest  men  of  his  time,  and  was  the  brains  and 
leader  of  his  party,  then  styled  the  Federal,  or  later  the 
Whig  party.  His  theory  of  government  exists  to  this  day 
and  time. 

A  prominent  citizen  was  Mr.  Jesse  Wherry,  a  man  of  wit 
and  humor,  a  good  mimic  and  was  a  candidate  at  the  time 
for  Commissioner  of  Revenue,  to  succeed  Parson  Burton, 
who  had  died.  During  the  canvass  he  attended  a  Meth- 
odist religious  meeting  and  when  the  preacher  offered  up 
a  long,  earnest  prayer,  Wherry  emphasized  it  by  his  ap- 
proval in  frequent  and  loud  aniens.  A  party  out  of  spite 
informed  the  leaders  of  the  meeting  that  Jesse  was  not 
only  not  a  Methodist,  but  not  even  a  member  of  any  church 
whatever.  This  action  came  very  near  causing  the  defeat 
of  Mr.  Jesse  Wherry  for  the  office,  for  the  whole  meeting 
voted  for  his  opponent.  There  once  lived  in  Richmond  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Hicks,  who  kept  a  livery  stable  on 
South  Tenth  Street,  between  Main  and  Cary.  He  owned 
a  fine  female  pointer  dog  named  "Sue."  She  had  a  pedi- 
gree nearly  a  yard  in  length.  The  puppies  he  found  a 
ready  sale  for  at  a  good  price.     One  day  a  party  ap- 


72 

proached  Hicks  and  said:  "1  wish  you  would  give  me 
one  of  her  puppies."  He  replied:  "You  go  to  Major 
Doswell  and  ask  him  to  give  you  one  of  Sue  Washington's 
colts."  "It  costs  the  major  a  good  deal  of  money  to 
produce  her  colts,"  exclaimed  the  party.  "Don't  you 
suppose  it  costs  me  something  to  obtain  my  thoroughbred 
puppies,"  was  Mr.  Hick's  reply. 

I  remember  well  the  time  when  the  last  mortal  remains 
of  the  great  Confederate  general,  Stonewall  Jackson,  were 
brought  to  Richmond  for  interment.  The  body  lay  in 
state  in  the  rotunda  of  the  capitol  and  all  who  desired 
could  view  the  corpse.  There  lay  still  in  death,  the  man 
who.had  been  the  right-hand  and  arm  of  General  Robert  E. 
Lee,  and  but  few,  if  any,  who  passed  around  his  bier  failed 
to  shed  tears  of  sorrow  at  the  great  calamity  which  the 
South  sustained  thereby.  Upon  a  caisson  was  placed  the 
casket  and  conveyed  to  Hollywood  Cemetery. 

His  faithful  colored  body-servant  led  the  famous  old 
sorrel  horse  that  had  carried  him  through  so  many  battles. 
At  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart, 
with  the  aid  of  his  servant,  had  provided  the  old  horse 
with  an  entirely  new  equipment — new  saddle  and  bridle — 
and  when  his  men  saw  their  general  seated  on  his  familiar 
old  sorrel,  bedecked  and  ornamented  with  the  new  trap- 
pings, they  were  utterly  amazed  at  the  improvement.  His 
new  uniform  of  Confederate  grey,  which  had  been  pro- 
cured for  the  general  without  his  knowledge,  became  him 
well  and  was  admired  by  all. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

In  turning  back  a  page  of  my  life,  my  memory  recalls 
several  members  of  the  1st  Howitzers,  to  which  I  belonged 
during  the  great  war.    One  was  Lieutenant  John  Nimmo, 


73 
who  joined  in  the  year  1861,  just  before  the  company- 
left  Richmond  for  the  front.  He  was  living  in  New  York 
when  the  war  began,  but  returned  to  his  native  State, 
and  joined  us,  being  elected  to  a  lieutenancy.  His 
physique  was  remarkable,  being  very  tall,  and  as  slim  as 
a  fence  rail  almost,  and  with  a  long  neck  and  mustaches 
as  flowing  as  those  of  a  "grenadier  of  the  foot  guards"  of 
France.  His  individuality  was  markeck  possessing  a  great 
fund  of  wit  and  humor,  enlivened  by  a  slight  vein  of 
sarcasm.  He  had  read  a  good  deal,  and  had  also  touched 
elbows  with  the  great  world,  which  rendered  liis  conver- 
sation always  very  entertaining.  His  gallantry  on  the 
field  of  battle  was  conspicuous,  being  one  of  the  coolest 
men  in  action  that  I  ever  saw.  His  memory  is  cherished 
highly  by  every  surviving  member  of  the  company.  He 
has  long  since  passed  to  the  "bourne  whence  no  traveller 
returns,"  and  rests  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 

A  striking  member  of  our  company, ' '  the  1st  Howitzers, ' ' 
was  Carey  Eggleston.  He  was  a  long,  gawky  looking 
young  soldier,  and  did  not  make  a  very  good  showing  on 
dress  parade,  but  just  as  soon  as  fight  opened,  and  our 
guns  were  turned  loose  upon  the  enemy,  his  whole  nature 
seemed  to  change  with  the  excitement,  and  he  seemed 
exhilarated  with  ardor  of  battle.  At  the  battle  of  Spot- 
sylvania Court  House  he  was  acting  number  one  at  the 
gun  where  I  was  number  three,  when  a  fragment  of  shell 
shattered  his  arm.  Gangrene  afterwards  set  in  and  caused 
his  death.  He  was  but  a  mere  youth,  only  eighteen  years 
old,  and  was  the  only  one  I  ever  knew  that  really  loved 
fighting. 

Of  some  interest  to  many  is  the  7  :32  A.M.  accommodation 
train  on  the  Richmond,  Fredericksburg  and  Potomac  Rail- 
road from  Ashland  to  Richmond.     It  conveys  as  passen- 


74 

gers  daily  business  and  professional  men  to  the  city.  A 
prominent  characteristic  of  these  travelers  is  the  haste 
displayed  by  each  in  getting  the  morning's  paper;  indeed 
it  seems  that  to  secure  one  at  all  hazards  and  risks,  the 
most  desirable  accomplishment  in  daily  life,  and  then  to 
quickly  board  the  train  and  rush  for  a  seat  on  the  shady 
side — if  it  happens  to  be  the  summer  season — while  the 
less  fortunate  make  out  the  best  they  can  on  the  sunny 
side.  The  choice  of  seats,  of  course,  is  reversed  in  the 
winter  time,  when  the  sun  is  the  favorite  side.  After  ob- 
taining his  favorite  seat  the  "newspaper  fiend"  draws  his 
paper,  folds,  presses  down  its  side  in  the  most  skillful  way, 
and  then  holds  its  pages  up  to  his  eager  gaze  with  the 
thrilling  delight  of  what  he  gleans  in  its  perusal.  This 
folding  and  preparation  of  the  journal  is  done  with  a 
peculiar  expertness  by  the  veteran  news  fiend,  for  instance, 
when  he  wishes  to  find  the  continuance  of  an  article  from 
one  page  to  another,  he  will  turn  it  over  and  rearrange 
it  in  a  most  adroit  manner,  that  no  amateur  could  per- 
form ;  only  the  genuine  newspaper  fiend  could  accomplish 
such  a  result.  He  first  folds  the  sheets  into  a  quarto  or 
folio  size  with  the  greatest  finesse,  and  takes  fresh  hold 
reading.  "When  you  notice  his  lips  quiver,  he  has  come  to 
something  especially  interesting;  he  becomes  quite  obliv- 
ious to  all  outside  influences,  being  entirely  absorbed  in 
what  he  is  enjoying  in  the  columns  of  the  news  items.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  he  is  not  fond  of  books ;  a  fine  volume 
of  literature  is  not  varied  enough  for  his  tastes.  The 
morning  paper,  fresh  with  news  of  the  whole  world,  ap- 
pears to  him  as  a  perfect  kaleidoscope  of  reading  matter, 
which  he  perfectly  appreciates  until  the  train  reaches  its 
destination. 

During  the  battles  around  Richmond,  when  the  Federal 


75 
army  under  General  Geo.  B.  McClellan  invested  the  city. 
one  of  the  brighest  pages  in  the  history  of  the  Confederate 
war  was  enacted.  The  noble  women  of  the  South  by  a  eon- 
cert  of  action,  united  in  aiding  the  surgeons  in  alleviating 
the  pain  and  suffering  of  the  wounded.  The  whole  seemed 
a  veritable  hospital.  Even  the  churches  were  stripped  of 
their  cushions  to  be  used  therein  for  the  comfort  of  those 
who  were  brought  in  from  the  front.  The  kind  sympathy 
and  cheering  words  of  these  devoted  women  caused  many 
a  wounded  soldier  to  look  and  revere  and  thank  his 
Creator  that  such  ministering  angels  had  been  provided 
to  sooth  him  and  inspire  hope  in  his  weak  and  stricken 
body.  This  gracious  and  noble  conduct  of  the  women  of 
the  Confederacy  forms  one  of  the  most  valuable  pages 
in  the  annals  of  the  great  war  between  the  North  and 
South.  Many  who  took  part  in  that  memorable  struggle 
and  strenuous  time  have  passed  over  the  river  that  sepa- 
rates life  from  eternity,  but  their  deeds  and  their  memory 
will  be  cherished  as  long  as  time  endures. 

A  gleaning  of  some  moment  is  the  tearing  down  of  the 
old  Reuger  building  to  give  place  to  a  new  and  more  mod- 
ern structure  of  ten  stories.  It  will  stand  upon  the  site 
of  the  original  house,  on  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  Bank 
Streets,  where  it  had  stood  for  more  than  half  a  century 
as  a  restaurant  and  hotel.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  establish- 
ment of  its  kind  ever  dispensed  better  cheer  in  either 
liquor  or  substantial  refreshments,  than  the  "Reugers" — 
father,  son  and  grandsons — served  up  to  their  many 
patrons.  In  the  new  hostelry  there  will  be  maintained  the 
same  high  prestige  hitherto  enjoyed  by  the  lovers  of  good 
fare  in.  Richmond  and  vicinity. 

A  prominent  person  in  Richmond  during  the  period 
"antebellum,"  was  Captain  Sam  Freeman,  who  was  the 


76 
superintendent  of  Capitol  Square  and  the  public  build- 
ings within  the  same.  It  was  he  that  introduced  the 
squirrels  on  the  grounds,  and  took  a  good  deal  of  interest 
in  and  care  of  them,  being  his  especial  pets.  After  the 
close  of  the  great  war,  the  former  office  was  merged 
in  that  of  the  Land  office  and  Superintendent  of  Public 
Buildings. 

I  recall  a  very  high-toned  gentleman,  a  first-class  Vir- 
ginian, who  was  waiting  upon  a  very  attractive  lady,  who 
was  riding  in  a  carriage  with  the  window  down.  He  being 
at  the  time  on  horseback,  and  drawing  alongside  the 
vehicle,  he  leaned  over  and  remarked  to  her  :  ''Miss  Judy, 
I  have  a  disagreeable  duty  to  perform,  namely,  to  court 
you."  She  very  promptly  replied:  "Well,  Colonel,  if 
it  is  such  a  disagreeable  task  to  you,  I  would  advise  you 
not  to  perform  it."  But  being  so  full  of  his  subject,  he 
continued  his  courtship,  and,  of  course,  was  promptly 
discarded.  She  afterwards  married  another  gentleman 
who  was  more  tactful  in  his  mode  of  courting  her. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

An  incident  which  I  recall  to  memory  was :  There  was 
a  Mrs.  R.  C.  Cabell,  a  sister  of  old  General  Wingfield  Scott, 
one  of  the  leaders  of  society  in  her  day  in  Richmond.  She 
drove  to  her  carriage  a  fine  pair  of  slick  brown  mules, 
well  roached.  It  was  swung  on  "C"  shaped  leather 
springs,  and  had  steps  which  were  unfolded  for  the  occu- 
pants to  descend  or  ascend.  The  seat  of  the  coachman 
was  perched  high  up  in  front,  and  altogether  it  was  a 
truly  unique  turnout,  which  always  attracted  much  notice. 
In  general  appearance  it  was  quite  similar  to  the  vehicle 
exhibited  in  the  wild  west  show  of  Buffalo  Bill. 

A  significant  evidence  of  the  great  commercial  develop- 


77 
ment  and  advance  in  importance  is  proven  by  the  estab- 
lishment in  Kichmond  of  the  office  of  Winston  and  Com- 
pany, engineers  and  contractors.  This  eminent  firm  is 
composed  of  native  Virginians,  "to  the  mannor-born, "  and 
their  thorough  knowledge  of  the  profession  places  them 
in  the  front  rank  in  this  country,  and  by  means  of  their 
skill  and  experience  are  able  to  handle  the  most  intricate 
problems  that  may  be  submitted  to  them  in  both  civil  and 
mechanical  engineering  line.  This  distinguished  firm  of 
native  Virginians  now  has  under  construction  the  contract 
with  the  City  of  New  York,  involving  several  millions  of 
dollars,  to  concentrate  and  dam-up  the  waters  of  several 
streams  in  the  Catskills,  and  then  to  convey  by  means  of 
tunnels  and  aqueducts  under  the  Hudson  River  many 
miles,  for  the  purpose  of  adding  to  the  supply  of  water 
for  that  centre  of  population. 

This  is  indeed  a  gigantic  undertaking  and  is  almost 
equal  in  importance  to  the  country  at  large  as  is  that  of 
the  Panama  Canal,  now  being  built  by  the  United  States 
government.  This  firm  of  Southern  men  has  built  im- 
portant works  for  Boston,  as  well  as  that  celebrated  piece 
of  work,  the  settling  basins,  for  Richmond,  which  gives 
us  such  fine,  clear  water  as  we  now  enjoy. 

The  prominent  firm,  the  Messrs.  T.  "W.  Wood  and  Sons, 
seedsmen,  is  a  business  of  large  proportions.  Its  products 
are  thus  distributed  throughout  this  State  and  the  other 
Southern  ones.  Mr.  Henry  W.  Wood,  the  head  of  the 
house,  is  a  merchant  of  great  capacity,  who  through  his 
fine  methods  has  built  up  the  largest  and  most  important 
seed  business  in  his  city,  and  furnishes  the  farmers  of  this 
State  and  elsewhere  with  a  most  important  article  of 
agriculture,  to-wit:  pure  and  well  selected  seeds.  This 
eminent  concern  bears  a   striking  evidence   of  the  im- 


78 
provement  which  the  evolution  of  the  wheel  of  time  has 
wrought. 

On  the  Ashland  accomodation  train  one  day  there  were 
seated  two  persons,  whom  we  shall  designate  as  Mr.  T. 
and  Mr.  S.  They  were  sitting  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
aisle  of  the  car  and  the  latter  had  a  horse  that  Mr.  T. 
knew,  and  the  conversation  ranged  on  the  subject  of  horse- 
flesh, or  rather  their  knowledge  of  the  same,  and  inci- 
dentally Mr.  S.  said  that  he  would  take  twenty-five  dollars 
for  his  animal.  Mr.  T.  at  once  produced  the  sum  and 
handed  it  over  to  Mr.  S.,  who  took  the  money  and  dashed 
it  down  to  the  floor,  exclaiming  that  he  was  only  jesting 
and  did  not  desire  to  sell  his  horse  for  the  price  stated. 
In  reply  Mr.  T\  said  that  it  was  a  plain  transaction  with 
him,  and  that  he  claimed  a  delivery  of  the  horse,  to  which 
demand  Mr.  S.  demurred.  The  case  was  finally  carried  to 
the  court  of  Hanover  county,  and  was  at  last  settled  by 
awarding  Mr.  T.  fifty  dollars  in  lieu  of  the  nag,  which 
belonged  to  the  firm  of  S.  and  H.  This  was  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  cases  ever  on  the  docket  of  the  Circuit 
Court  of  Hanover  for  many  years. 

In  the  good  old  county  of  Goochland  there  lived  two  men 
who  were  neighbors  and  great  friends,  and  as  a  matter  of 
course  took  an  interest  in  each  other's  welfare.  They  were 
in  one  respect  totally  different  in  character:  The  one 
was  very  neat  and  tidy  in  his  attire ;  but  his  friend  was 
quite  the  opposite,  being  careless  in  his  dress  and  rather 
untidy  in  his  appearance.  As  he  was  about  to  move  to 
Richmond  to  reside,  his  friend  kindly  offered  him  some 
good  advice.  Said  he:  "Since  you  are  going  to  a  city  to 
reside,  where  one's  dress  is  more  scrutinized  than  in  the 
country,  the  first  thing  on  reaching  town  go  to  0.  H. 
Berry's  Clothing  House,  corner  Eleventh  and  Main  Streets, 


79 
and  buy  a  fashionable  cutaway  suit  of  clothes.  And 
then  I  would  advise  with  your  white  shirt  you  wear  a 
white  necktie  whenever  an  occasion  offers,  as  it  is  the 
proper  thing  to  do."  He  accordingly  adopted  his  good 
friend's  advice  and  then  wrote  as  follows: 

"I  have  done  as  you  suggested;  went  to  0.  H.  Berry's 
elegant  establishment,  where  I  procured  the  latest  shape 
in  cutaway  suits,  but  in  regard  to  that  white  necktie,  dear 
boy !  I  am  constrained  to  say  that  from  my  observation 
here,  they  are,  except  by  preachers,  worn  mostly  by  the 
barbers  and  colored  waiters  in  the  restaurants.  Still,  to 
please  my  good  friend,  I  shall  decorate  my  neck  with  one 
when  occasion  offers." 

Edward  S.  McCarthy  was  elected  captain  of  the  1st 
Company  of  Richmond  Howitzers  at  the  reorganiza- 
tion on  the  Peninsular  in  1862.  He  was  possessed 
of  a  most  decided  personality;  he  was  rather  stout 
in  figure,  with  a  large,  full  face,  piercing  eyes,  and 
in  manner  rather  inclined  to  be  reticent  in  speech ;  but  he 
had  a  heart  as  large  as  a  barn  door,  was  sympathetic 
with  all  who  needed  a  friend  and  as  brave  as  Marshall 
Ney.  Careful  of  his  men  under  fire,  never  seeking  his 
own  protection,  even  under  the  most  trying  ordeal  of  a 
very  severe  fire  from  the  enemy's  guns,  such  was  the 
character  of  Captain  Edward  S.  McCarthy,  the  gallant 
commander  of  the  1st  Company  Richmond  Howitzers,  who 
was  struck,  at  the  second  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  by  a 
minnie  ball  from  the  rifle  of  a  sharp-shooter.  The  brave 
and  noble  soldier  never  uttered  a  word  after  the  fatal 
ball  entered  his  body.  I  was  within  three  feet  of  him 
when  he  fell.  No  more  gallant  soul,  no  finer  Virginian 
gentleman  ever  yielded  up  the  ghost  on  the  field  of  patriot- 
ism and  duty  than  this  Confederate  warrior.     What  an 


80 

awful  thing  is  war ;  when  such  specimens  of  manhood  may 
be  immolated  upon  the  red,  gory  alter  of  the  God  of  War. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

During  that  heavy  snowfall  in  the  winter  of  1858,  the 
passenger  train  on  the  then  called  Virginia  Central  Rail- 
road— now  named  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio — was  stalled 
and  completely  held-up  by  a  tremendous  drift  just  oppo- 
site the  well  known  farm,  "Strawberry  Hill,"  which  is 
about  six  miles  from  Richmond.  On  the  train,  as  a  pas- 
senger, was  a  Mrs.  Jones,  a  distinguished  actress  of  that 
time,  and  there  was  also  aboard  the  cars  a  Mr.  Hugh  Fry, 
of  Richmond.  The  passengers  all  decided  to  leave  the 
train  and  go  up  to  the  house  for  diversion  or  entertain- 
ment. 

Mrs.  Jones  found  herself  involved  in  a  dilemma,  as  she 
had  on  but  a  very  thin  pair  of  shoes,  whereupon  Mr. 
Fry,  with  the  gallantry  of  a  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  came 
to  her  relief  and  took  off  the  boots  he  was  wearing  and 
insisted  on  her  using  them.  Then  came  up  an  unforeseen 
difficulty  to  be  overcome;  the  legs  of  his  boots  were  too 
small  for  the  fair  lady's  understandings,  whereupon  Mr. 
Fry  with  his  pen-knife  slit  the  tops  so  that  they  went 
on  smoothly  and  thus  kept  the  feet  of  the  fair  wearer 
dry  and  quite  comfortable. 

This  incident  of  the  antebellum  days  was  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  displays  of  knight-errantry  in  the  annals' 
of  the  Old  Dominion. 

One  of  the  most  pleasant  and  entertaining  clubs  in  the 
1st  Company  of  the  Richmond  Howitzers  was  the  card 
club.  Nearly  every  game  in  Hoyle  was  played,  but  the 
most  popular  one  was  draw  poker.  We  used  corn  grains 
for  chips,  and  the  antes  were  not  very  large  in  amount, 


81 
as  we  were  then  receiving  as  pay  only  twelve  dollars 
per  month,  and  that  at  long  intervals.  When  a  player 
had  not  the  cash  to  settle  up  with  the  game,  he  would 
give  an  order  on  next  forthcoming  pay,  which  was  always 
honored.  Some  of  the  men  became  good  poker  players 
Many  of  those  who  were  then  participants  in  the  game 
of  cards,  as  well  as  of  "grim  war,"  have  passed  away 
to  the  other  side  of  the  great  river  of  life. 

I  recall  some  of  the  most  pleasant  times  of  army  life, 
while  we  were  encamped  in  winter  quarters,  in  the  en- 
joyment incident  to  a  good  game  of  "poker."  They  were 
as  a  rule  genial,  bright  fellows,  and  good  cannoneers  as 
well,  but  always  ready  for  the  call  to  arms.  We  were 
then  all  young  and  hopeful;  the  survivors  are  now  old 
and  quite  "unsteady  on  their  pins."  Their  gait  is  slow, 
and  many  winters  have  frosted  their  once  sunny  locks. 

In  the  good  town  of  Ashland,  in  Hanover  county,  Va.,  sit- 
uated about  sixteen  miles  north  of  Richmond,  on  The  Rich- 
mond, Fredericksburg  and  Potomac  Railway,  is  to  be  found 
one  of  the  very  prettiest  towns  in  the  South.  This  place 
enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  birthplace  of  the  illus- 
trious statesman,  Henry  Clay,  called  the  "Great  Com- 
moner," whose  efforts  in  Congress  postponed  the  dread- 
ful strife  between  the  sections  for  many  years.  It  was  he 
who  uttered  the  lofty,  patriotic  words,  "I  would  rather 
be'  right  than  be  President."  Ashland  is  not  very  far 
from  Hanover  Court  House,  where  John  Randolph  and 
Patrick  Henry,  the  renowed  orator  of  the  Revolution, 
locked  horns  in  the  trial  of  the  famous  Parson's  tobacco 
case,  in  which  the  former,  Mr.  Randolph,  came  very  near 
putting  the  great  pleader  "on  the  gridiron."  The  cele- 
brated college  at  this  place,  named  after  two  distinguished 
men,  "Randolph-Macon,"  is  one  of  the  best  and  most 


82 
prosperious  institutions  of  learning  in  the  State,  with  a 
corps  of  professors  of  ripest  scholarship  and  thoroughly- 
equipped  for  the  respective  chairs  of  instruction  which 
they  fill.  The  town  has  good  water  and  excellent  social 
advantages,  being  two  most  important  elements  for  com- 
fort and  pleasure  in  any  place  of  residence.  The  large, 
old  forest  trees,  which  still  stand  in  their  pristine  grandeur 
in  the  streets  and  yards  of  Ashland,  add  much  to  its  ap- 
pearance and  render  it  attractive.  Many  people  come  to 
this  village  to  spend  the  summer  months  and  enjoy  the 
advantages  it  affords  of  country,  pure  air  and  also  its 
nearness  to  the  city.  Mr.  Robinson,  who  was  one  of  the 
first  presidents  of  the  Richmond,  Fredericksburg  and  Poto- 
mac Railroad,  took  great  interest  in  Ashland  and  did 
much  to  advance  it  in  every  respect.  He  established  a 
fine,  turfed  race  course  and  started  many  other  improve- 
ments which  have  all  now  passed  away  and  are  only 
remembered  by  the  elder  members  of  the  community.  An 
attractive  and  well-kept  hotel  occupies  a  prominent  posi- 
tion on  the  main  street  fronting  the  railroad,  and  is  well 
patronized.  So  that  taking  into  consideration  all  the 
conveniences  and  beauties  of  the  town,  it  may  well  be 
called  a  desirable  place  for  a  home. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  morning  accommodation  train  on  the  Richmond, 
Fredericksburg  and  Potomac  Railroad  is,  you  may  say, 
somewhat  unique,  since  among  its  regular  passengers  or 
commuters  from  Ashland  may  be  found  almost  every  kind 
of  human  industry  represented.  For  instance,  there  is  the 
lawyer,  and  there  the  judge  as  well.  The  representative 
of  the  steam  and  marine  navigation  insurance.  Also  a 
representative  of  agricultural  implements.     The  interests 


83 
of  the  tiller  of  the  soil  are  likewise  well  represented,  and 
last,  though  not  least,  the  grain  and  feed  business  has  its 
agent  here,  with  various  other  lines  of  commercial  life 
well  represented,  all  forming  a  most  pleasant  company  of 
genial  and  sociable  men.  The  conversation  abounds  in 
honest  interchange  of  ideas,  which  are  both  instructive 
and  entertaining.  In  these  cases  there  are  but  little  or 
no  egotism  indulged  in,  only  a  clear-cut  discussion  of 
questions  and  topics  which  are  daily  presented  to  every- 
body at  this  time.  The  daily  morning  and  evening  news- 
papers, which  are  full  of  all  the  stirring  events  of  the 
day,  being  perused  by  all,  and  thus  each  and  every  man 
obtains  therefrom  plenty  of  information  as  food  for  a 
general  diffusion  of  thoughts  and  ideas.  Hence  this  train 
may  be  truly  a  unique  one. 

An  interesting  incident  was  that  of  the  independent 
fire  department  of  Richmond  in  the  days  before  the  war. 
This  consisted  of  several  companies,  between  which  there 
existed  a  considerable  degree  of  rivalry.  The  engine  and 
the  reel,  or  hose  carriage,  were  drawn  by  the  men.  Cap- 
tain John  Fry  commanded  number  three  engine.  Captain 
Bargamin  was  chief  of  number  one.  As  a  matter  of  course 
where  there  was  so  much  rivalry  among  them,  at  every 
fire  there  arose  a  contention  as  to  which  company  was 
entitled  to  attach  its  hose  to  the  nearest  plug,  and  it 
generally  resulted  in  a  free  fight  between  the  two  com- 
panies. Then  fighting  was  only  regarded  as  a  sort  of 
recreation  or  a  manly  sport.  But  time  and  the  exper- 
ience in  the  late  war  taught  them  to  look  upon  it  in  an 
entirely  different  light.  Such  is  the  change  of  sentiment 
and  morals  produced  by  time  and  trouble. 

Our  present  splendid  fire  department,  under  the  pay 
system,  is  one  of  the  city's  best  assets,  presents  quite  a 


84 
contrast  to  the  old  days.  With  the  new  automobile  fire 
engines,  carrying  .hose,  ladders,  chemical  apparatus  and 
everything  needed  at  a  big  fire,  capable  of  throwing  pow- 
erful streams  of  water,  the  fires  of  today  do  not  reach 
often  to  conflagrations  of  the  size  as  of  yore.  The  whole 
system  now  works  like  a  clock.  And  the  employment  of 
the  best  mechanical  skill,  in  addition  to  the  use  of  the 
motor  power  to  supersede  horse  power,  proves  the  rapid 
and  great  advance  of  modern  conveniences  as  contrasted 
with  the  old-fashioned,  hand-power  machines. 

The  people  of  the  United  States  of  North  America 
at  this  time  are  confronted  with  many  important  and  in- 
tricate problems  of  government  for  their  solution.  Indeed, 
we  have  reached  a  crisis  in  the  political  and  commercial 
life  of  the  country.  At  this  writing,  the  fall  of  the  year 
1912,  the  country  is  on  the  eve  of  an  important  presi- 
dential election.  Governor  Woodrow  Wilson,  of  New 
Jersey,  and  Governor  Thomas  R.  Marshall,  of  Indiana,  head 
the  Democratic  ticket.  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Taft,  the  incumbent, 
is  the  nominee  of  the  regular  Republican  Protection  party ; 
while  Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt  is  the  leader  of  the  third 
party  of  high  tariff ites,  commonly  termed  the  Bull  Moose 
or  National  Progressives. 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The  letter  of  acceptance  of  each  of  the  candidates  gives 
to  some  extent  the  policy  of  the  administration  that  is 
advocated  by  them.  There  are  some  wrongs  to  remedy  and 
some  new  measures  to  adjust  and  policies  to  inaugurate. 
In  the  meantime  the  people  are  looking  with  eager  eyes  at 
the  contest  and  are  anxious  to  know  the  final  result  in 
November  as  to  which  party  will  be  successful  and  the 


85 
kind  of  government  that  will  rule  them  after  the  4th 
of  March,  1913. 

An  interesting  history  of  by-gone  days  was  that  of  the 
old  James  River  and  Kanawha  Canal,  which  was  in  its 
day  a  very  important  means  of  transportation  to  all  points 
situated  in  the  valley  of  the  James  above  Richmond  to 
the  westward.  The  State  of  Virginia,  which  built  and 
owned  it  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  sold  it  to  the  Rich- 
mond and  Alleghany  Railroad  Company,  which  construct- 
ed a  railroad  on  its  bank  known  as  the  Richmond  and 
and  Alleghany  Railroad.  This  road  finally  fell  to  the  con- 
trol of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Company  by  purchase  of 
its  stock  and  bonds,  and  thus  the  use  of  that  fine  work 
as  a  means  of  transport  became  a  thing  of  the  past — 
too  slow  for  the  age  of  steam  and  electricity. 

A  striking  feature  of  Richmond  during  the  war  were 
the  levees  or  social  receptions  held  at  the  Governor's 
Mansion  every  Thursday  night.  They  were  largely  at- 
tended by  the  citizens  as  well  as  by  the  soldiers  that  were 
passing  through  the  city,  affording  a  pleasant  opportunity 
to  the  boys  in  grey  to  and  from  the  front,  to  meet  the 
fair  ladies  of  the  Confederacy,  who  lent  their  charming 
presence  and  society  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  officers  and 
men,  affording  a  very  delightful  recreation  and  change 
from  the  hardships  and  many  privations  of  field  duty. 

Colonel  William  Smith,  nick-named  Extra  Billy  while 
in  Congress,  was  one  of  the  bravest  and  most  popular  offi- 
cers in  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  His  regiment 
had  won  distinction  on  many  fields  of  battle.  An  election 
was  held  in  the  army  and  every  man  in  all  the  Virginia 
regiments  voted  for  him  to  be  the  Governor  of  Virginia, 
and  it  proved  a  wise  selection,  for  his  intense  devotion 
to  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy,  as  well  as  his  conspicious 


86 
gallantry,  endeared  him  to  every  one  who  wore  the  gray. 
Very  well  do  I  recall  the  occasion  when  the  guests  at 
the  Mansion  passed  in  review  and  gave  him  the  compli- 
ments of  the  evening.  His  genial  manners  to  all  will  long 
be  remembered. 

Doctor  Hunter  McGuire,  the  medical  director  of  Stone- 
wall Jackson's  corps,  by  his  sympathetic  manner  and 
great  skill  as  a  sergeon,  saved  many  a  poor  Confederate's 
life  and  also  soothed  his  suffering  body  when  tortured  by 
wounds  received  in  battle.  He  was  the  physician  who 
attended  his  mortally  wounded  chief,  after  he  was  stricken 
down  at  Chancellorsville,  by  the  accidental  fire  of  his  own 
men.  All  that  could  be  done,  he  did  to  save  his  valuable 
life,  but  all  was  in  vain,  as  pneumonia  set  in  and  the  great 
soldier  passed  away,  to  the  deepest  sorrow  and  grief  of 
the  whole  South.  Doctor  McGuire,  after  the  war,  settled 
in  Richmond  and  established  a  very  large  and  lucrative 
practice,  gaining  a  national  reputation  as  an  eminent  sur- 
geon, his  operations  in  the  line  of  surgery  being  quoted 
all  over  the  country  for  their  skillful  application  of  the 
principles  of  that  great  art. 

Doctor  McGuire 's  great,  tender  heart  was  always  open 
to  the  needs  of  the  Confederate  soldier,  or  to  the  aid  of 
the  "Lost  Cause"  in  keeping  alive  in  the  memories  the 
glories  of  those  who  fell  in  defense  of  their  homes  and 
families.  His  memory  is  still  revered  by  the  old  and  the 
young  for  his  many  noble  traits  of  character  and  his  deeds 
as  a  citizen  and  physician. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Robert  Jennings  was  a  sergeant 
in  the  9th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and  when  his  regiment 
was  passing  through  the  county  of  Matthews,  during  the 
war,  he  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  surroundings  that 
he  said  if  he  came  out  of  the  conflict  unharmed,  he  would 


87 
buy  a  farm  there,  and  as  he  was  fortunate  enough  to 
survive,  both  sound  and  well,  and  being  the  possessor  of 
a  snug  sum  of  ready  money,  he  carried  out  his  intentions 
by  purchasing  a  nice  home  and  launched  out  in  the  very 
laudable  occupation  of  tilling  the  soil.  "Colonel  Bob,"  as 
he  was  called,  being  of  a  genial  nature,  attended  court  at 
the  county  seat  every  court  day,  his  object  in  so  doing  was 
to  become  well  acquainted  with  the  citizens,  and  being  a 
man  of  means  and  of  a  liberal  disposition,  he  treated,  or 
"set  up"  drinks  and  cigars  to  the  people  very  freely.  He 
began  by  ordering  the  best  to  be  had,  such  as  fifteen-cent 
drinks  in  thin  glasses  and  Henry  Clay  regalia  cigars,  and 
consequently  became  exceedingly  popular,  indeed  was  one 
of  the  most  popular  men  in  Matthews  county,  on  account 
of  his  liberality  and  frequent  attendance  on  court  day.  His 
farm  and  affairs  were  neglected,  which  compelled  him  to 
mortgage  his  property  and  was  thus  reduced  to  the  neces- 
sity of  ordering  ten-cent  drinks  and  cheaper  cigars.  So 
they,  from  calling  him  "Colonel,"  changed  his  title  to 
"Major  Bob,"  and  as  he  still  neglected  his  farm  and  its 
management,  and  was  again  forced  by  lack  of  money  to 
put  a  second  deed  of  trust  on  his  farm,  he  was  now  reduced 
to  the  rank  of  "Captain  Bob."  He  then  reduced  the  cost 
of  his  drinks  down  to  "shorts,"  or  five-cent  drams,  and 
stogies  for  smokes.  "Well,  finally  things  went  from  bad  to 
worse,  and  Captain  Bob  had  to  place  a  third  deed  or 
mortgage  on  his  place,  and  then  it  went  into  the  hands  of 
the  trustee  and  was  advertised  for  sale.  A  man  from  Min- 
nesota came  and  said  that  he  liked  the  place  and  also  liked 
the  people,  as  they  were  in  general  simple-minded,  honest 
folks,  he  would  send  his  son  down  in  the  winter  and  he 
would  come  in  the  summer. 

' ' Bob, ' '  for  they  now  only  called  him  plain  ' '  Bob, ' '  over- 


88 
heard  the  man  say  "a  simple-minded  people,"  remarked: 
"Well,  that  is  what  I  thought  a  few  years  ago,  when  I  first 
came  down  here,  with  about  seventy-five  thousand  dollars, 
and  now  I  haven't  got  money  enough  left  to  pay  my  steam- 
boat fare  to  the  city  of  Norfolk" ;  and  whatever  afterwards 
became  of  Mr.  Robert  Jennings  I  do  not  know. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

When  General  McClellan  advanced  up  the  peninsular 
formed  by  the  James  and  York  Rivers,  from  Yorktown  and 
Old  Point  Comfort,  and  laid  seige  to  Richmond  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  1862,  the  Federal  gunboats  steamed 
up  the  James  River  and  attempted  to  pass  by  the  Con- 
federate fortifications  at  Drewry's  Bluff,  called  "Fort 
Darling"  by  the  Federals,  and  then  began  a  fierce  artillery 
duel  between  them.  At  the  crisis  of  the  battle  the  prin- 
cipal gun,  a  thirty  pounder,  was  thrown  from  its  trunions, 
and  by  the  skill  and  coolness  at  this  critical  juncture  of 
Major  Jno.  G.  Clarke,  the  engineer  in  charge,  it  was 
safely  remounted  and  the  enemy's  fleet  repulsed,  thus 
saving  the  city  from  bombardment.  Major  Clarke  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel  of  the  engineer 
corps,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  where  he 
directed  and  superintended  the  placing  of  the  pontoon 
bridges  at  "Falling  Waters"  for  General  Lee's  army  to 
pass  over  after  the  fight.  He  was  then  promoted  again  to 
be  full  colonel  of  engineers.  Upon  the  death  of  Colonel 
Harris  he  was  put  in  command  of  Charleston,  S.  C. 

During  the  important  period  of  history  known  as  "Re- 
construction," General  Canby  sent  one  of  his  aides,  a 
Lieutenant  Terfew,  to  the  county  of  Henry,  in  order  to 
reduce  the  population  to  terms.  The  county  seat  was  his 
destination  and  court  was  in  session  when  he  arrived  and 


at  the  mid-day  recess.  This  officer,  upon  dismounting, 
very  warm  and  dusty,  it  being  the  latter  part  of  June, 
found  a  large  number  of  citizens  assembled  in  front  of 
the  hotel,  to  whom  he  stated,  that  by  order  of  General 
Canby,  he  was  there  to  reconstruct  the  county  and  to 
inaugurate  amicable  relations  between  the  government  at 
Richmond  and  the  good  people  of  the  county  and  thus 
prevent  friction.  The  crowd  present  selected  as  their 
spokesman  an  old  justice  of  the  peace,  and  accordingly 
addressed  the  officer  in  these  words: 

Lieutenant  Terf ew,  sir :  Any  one  coming  to  the  good 
old  county  of  Henry  with  such  good  credentials  as  you 
bear,  to-wit :  The  sword  in  one  hand  and  the  olive  branch 
in  the  other,  a  slight  or  any  discourtesy  extended  or 
offered  you  will  be  regarded  by  each  one  of  us  as  an 
affront  individually,  and  will  be  resented  and  treated 
as  it  deserves."  After  this  the  lieutenant  inquired  if  he 
could  procure  any  refreshment,  whereupon  the  landlord 
stepped  forward  and  said:  "Oh,  yes,  just  follow."  The 
officer  then  invited  the  whole  party  to  join  him  in  a 
sociable  drink.  Eleven  of  them  accepted ;  among  them 
was  the  justice  who  had  replied.  They  walked  up  the 
passageway,  then  faced  to  the  right  and  then  front-faced 
to  the  counter  at  the  bar  and  each  called  for  what  he 
wished.  Each  one  took  apple  brandy.  Then  he  remarked: 
"Gentlemen,  as  I  am  tired  and  thirsty,  I  wish  to  repeat, 
won't  you  all  again  join  me."  Upon  this  the  old  justice 
spoke  up  thus:  "Now,  lieutenant,  we  will  repeat,  but 
not  at  your  expense.  Landlord,  just  chalk  the  last  drinks 
down  to  me."  As  they  were  filing  out  of  the  bar  the 
landlord  beckoned  to  the  lieutenant  and  asked  him  who 
was  going  to  pay  for  those  last  drinks.  "That  old  fellow 
has  been  playing  that  trick  on  me  for  the  last  five  years," 


90 
he  said.     The  result  was  that  the  officer  was  successful 
in  fully  reconstructing  the  county. 

Just  before  the  close  of  the  war  a  foraging  squad  of 
Federal  cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Row- 
land Wood,  was  sent  out  and  reached  the  fine,  old  colonial 
residence  of  a  Mrs.  Swann,  whose  plantation  was  well 
stocked  and  in  fair  condition,  as  in  fact  many  places  had 
not  suffered  from  the  visits  of  the  foragers  and  prowlers 
of  either  army.  Indeed  this  was  one  of  the  fortunate 
ones.  It  was  named  "Meadow  Brook,"  and  was  truly 
a  very  fine  estate.  The  ladies  of  the  mansion  used  an  old- 
fashioned  knocker  on  the  front  door ;  and  Miss  Ida  Swann 
answered  the  front  door.  The  officer  was  struck  as  soon 
as  she  appeared,  as  he  recognized  in  her  the  same  young 
lady  that  he  had  known  and  greatly  admired  before  the 
war.  She  was  the  ideal  Virginian  girl,  high  spirited  and 
loyal  to  the  South,  with  an  independent  bearing,  a  char- 
acteristic of  the  well-bred  country  maiden.  She  was  fond 
of  out-door  life  and  exercises,  like  Diana  Vernon,  so  beau- 
tifully described  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  one  of  his  novels. 
The  Federal  officer  stated  his  errand  in  the  most  polite 
way,  of  course,  which  was  to  some  extent  a  matter  of 
embarrassment  to  him  under  the  circumstances,  and  after 
having  made  an  inspection  and  found  that  there  was 
comparatively  nothing  on  the  premises  which  would  be 
of  any  value  to  the  cavalry  service,  he  came  across  her 
own  riding  horse,  which  he  decided  was  too  delicate  to 
bear  a  trooper.  So  he  returned  to  camp,  having  done  noth- 
ing injurious  to  the  place.  It  happened  this  was  near 
the  close  of  the  war,  and  shortly  afterwards  the  Southern 
army  surrendered  at  Appomattox  to  General  U.  S.  Grant. 
Then  the  lieutenant  cast  aside  his  uniform  and  donned 
a  citizen's  suit,  and  after  things  had  quited  down,  he  con- 


91 
eluded  to  make  a  friendly  visit  to  "Meadow  Brook," 
where  he  found  Miss  Swann  in  the  bloom  of  health  and 
buoyant  spirits.  And  by  his  manly  and  straight-forward 
course  of  conduct,  he  gradually  regained  his  former  posi- 
tion in  her  esteem  and  by  degrees  the  old  flame  of  affec- 
tion was  rekindled,  and  in  the  old  church  near-by  they 
stood  before  the  altar  and  plighted  their  mutual  troth 
and  vows  and  were  made  man  and  wife  by  the  sacred  rites 
of  matrimony.  Their  life  has  been,  and  is  now,  one  of 
connubial  bliss  and  contentment  with  their  lot,  because 
of  the  pure  love  and  congeniality  existing  between  them. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

In  this,  the  first  decade  of  the  twentieth  century,  we 
find  new  conditions  confronting  the  people  called  by  many 
in  the  political  sense,  "Progressive/'  There  are  many 
conditions  in  both  the  commercial  and  political  orders  of 
the  time  which  are  deemed  by  the  leaders  to  need  a 
change.  For  instance,  the  control  of  cities  through  new 
municipal  legislation,  and  a  Board  of  Control,  or  Admin- 
istration. In  the  national  affairs :  The  election  of  Sen- 
ators by  the  direct  vote  of  the  people,  and  by  the  means 
of  primary  elections  in  the  States  in  the  nomination  of 
candidates  for  the  Presidency,  instead  of  the  old  modes 
of  by  conventions  and  legislatures.  Time  will  surely  prove 
whether  the  changes  called  for,  and  now  inaugurated 
in  some  cities  and  States,  will  be  any  improvement  over 
the  former  system. 

We  are  now  living  in  an  age  of  decided  change  and 
advances.  Everything  that  conduces  to  the  progress  and 
betterment  of  society,  in  its  general  sense,  ought  to  be 
given  a  trial  in  order  that  the  masses  of  citizens  may  be 


92 
uplifted  and  conditions  of  living  be  ameliorated  and  ad- 
vanced, both  physically  and  morally. 

It  has  been  asserted  that  the  Confederate  soldier  was 
addicted  to  the  evil  habit  of  emphasizing  his  ordinary 
conversation  in  a  manner  of  speech  not  admissable  in 
a  Sunday  school  room.  As  a  matter  of  fact  a  great  many 
of  the  hardest  fighters  and  most  gallant  commanders  were 
real  profane  men,  that  seemed  to  believe  that  an  order 
accompanied  by  an  oath  would  be  executed  with  more 
dispatch  than  if  not  so  given.  Many  soldiers  were  kept 
from  using  oaths  before  a  battle  on  account  of  the  penalty 
accruing  from  breaking  the  Third  Commandment,  to-wit: 
''Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in 
vain,  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless,  that  taketh 
his  name  in  vain."  I  do  not  think  there  was  more  swear- 
ing among  soldiers  than  there  was  before  the  war.  To 
say  the  least,  the  habit  is  very  vulgar  and  unrefined, 
aside  from  its  wickedness,  and  should  never  be  taught 
children ;  yet  there  have  been  occasions  when  an  oath 
seemed  to  give  an  order  more  effect  and  vim ;  still  it  is 
not  advisable  and  should  be  only,  if  at  all,  used  seldom 
in  any  company,  but  such  is  the  frailty  of  human  nature 
that  soldiers  are  prone  to  do  that  which  they  ought  not 
to  do.  I  am  opposed  to  cursing,  and  think  it  ought  never 
to  be  resorted  to  if  possible  to  avoid  it.  The  human  family, 
if  it  tries  hard  so  to  do,  can  abstain  from  the  habit,  and 
they  can  accustom  themselves  to  speak  without  violating 
the  commandment  of  God. 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Years  ago  there  settled  in  the  county  of  Hanover  a 
Mr.  James  Ames  and  Jane,  his  wife.  They  were  very 
industrious,  thrifty  citizens.     He  had  purchased  his  farm 


93 
through  a  real  estate  firm  of  Richmond,  on  the  terms  of 
three  equal  payments.  He  paid  promptly  the  first  two, 
but  six  months  before  the  third  one  fell  due,  he  found  him- 
self confronted  with  unforeseen  conditions :  There  had 
been  a  long,  distressing  drought,  which  had  cut  short  his 
crops,  and  one  of  his  mules  had  broken  his  leg,  so  that 
altogether  he  was  in  a  sad  state  of  mind.  The  third  and 
last  installment  on  his  farm  was  nearly  due  and  his  wife, 
who  was  a  sensible  and  practical  woman,  said  to  him,  now 
let  me  see  if  I  can  assist  in  this  difficulty,  to  which  he 
assented.  Accordingly  she  went  to  Richmond  to  the  firm 
from  which  the  farm  was  bought,  with  that  native  dignity 
inherent  to  the  country  lady,  and  asked  to  see  the  head 
of  the  firm,  and  was  told  that  he  was  not  in,  being  detained 
at  his  home  on  account  of  sickness  in  his  family,  upon 
which  she  obtained  the  address  of  his  residence,  where 
she  went,  and  finding  him,  stated  her  business.  He  told 
her  that  he  was  quite  unfit  to  attend  to  any  kind  of  busi- 
ness by  reason  of  his  distress ;  whereupon  she  told  him 
that  she  was  a  skillful  nurse,  and  that  if  he  so  desired  it, 
she  would  remain  over  in  town  a  few  days  and  would 
assist  in  nursing  his  sick  family  that  was  suffering  with 
measles,  requiring  constant,  careful  nursing.  Under  her 
efficient  attentions  and  skillful  nursing  they  were  finally 
restored  to  health  and  to  their  normal  condition.  So  he 
rode  down  to  his  office  with  Mrs.  Ames,  and  asking  for 
the  deed  he  marked  the  balance  due  paid  in  full.  It  thus 
resulted  that  James  obtained  a  clear  title  to  his  farm 
through  the  cleverness  of  his  good  wife.  Now  what  is 
it  that  a  good  smart  woman  cannot  accomplish  ? 

A  prominent,  burning  question  of  the  day  and  time  is 
that  of  woman  suffrage,  and  why  not  give  them  the  right 
to  vote  ?    This  is  a  day  of  progress  and  change,  and  the 


94 
right  of  females  to  exercise  the  privilege  of  suffrage  should 
be  freely  accorded  the  sex  which  has  really  had  a  con- 
trolling influence  in  the  affairs  of  mankind  since  the  day 
of  Adam  and  Eve.  Did  she  not,  hy  means  of  her  per- 
suasive arguments,  induce,  through  mother  Eve,  the 
father  of  men,  Adam,  to  eat  of  the  forbidden  fruit? 
Woman  has  always  been  a  beacon  light  to  man  in  guiding 
him  in  the  paths  of  right  and  duty. 

Yes,  indeed,  there  are  many  worse  things  in  human 
economy  than  woman  suffrage.  So  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  next  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  may  accede  to  the 
petitions  presented  them  in  advancing  the  cause  of  equal 
suffrage.  Woman  is  now  the  great  propelling  force  of 
the  present  age  of  political  economy.  They  have  always 
exercised  the  right  to  vote,  I  believe,  in  choosing  vestry- 
men of  the  church,  and  in  some  school  matters  in  some 
cities,  and  so  why  not  give  them  the  right  to  participate 
in  regular  elections  of  State  and  municipal  officers?  It 
is  the  inherent  right  or  privilege  of  the  sex  to  do  as  she 
pleases  or  deserves,  and  there  should  be  no  law  to  prevent 
her  exercising  her  own  sweet  will  in  such  matters.  I 
believe  women  are  possessed  of  as  much  intelligence  as 
men  are,  and  in  some  respects  they  have  more,  hence  they 
should  not  be  debarred  from  the  polls  in  the  general 
elections  of  those  who  are  to  represent  them,  as  well  as 
men,  in  the  administration  of  everyday  affairs.  I  should 
like  to  be  a  registrar  of  precinct  which  numbered  a  large 
proportion  of  suffragettes.  I  would  not  challenge  the  vote 
of  a  single  one 

The  Howitzer  Association  is  formed  of  the  surviving 
members  of  the  three  companies,  the  first,  the  second 
and  third.  It  has  a  reunion  and  banquet  on  each  thir- 
teenth day  of  December,  which  is  the  anniversary  of  the 


95 
battle  of  Fredericksburg.  A  good  supper  is  spread  on 
that  night  and  many  recollections  of  the  great  war  are 
recalled  and  renewal  of  fellowship  and  general  inter- 
course is  enjoyed,  which  cements  the  attachments  between 
each  of  the  survivors  of  the  three  companies.  Alas !  How 
sad  to  realize  that  so  many  of  your  comrades  have  passed 
away. 

In  the  voyage  of  life  you  sometimes  meet  persons,  who 
say  that  they  wish  to  banish  all  reminder  of  the  great 
war  between  the  States,  or  as  we  say,  the  Confederacy. 
Such  people  it  might  be  properly  asked,  did  they  fight 
so  hard,  and  were  they  so  zealous  that  they  dislike  to 
revert  to  their  prowess  on  the  field  of  battle?  Or  did 
they  shirk  their  duty  to  their  country  so  very  adroitly 
that  they  hate  to  be  reminded  of  it?  The  true  soldier 
of  the  Confederacy,  the  gallant  boy  who  shouldered  a 
musket  at  the  call  to  defend  his  home  and  fireside,  and 
who  faithfully  performed  his  duty,  whether  as  a  private 
or  as  an  officer,  should  have  no  desire  to  entirely  wipe 
out  of  memory  that  eventful  period  in  his  own  history, 
and  of  his  country  that  awful  time  which  tested  the 
metal  of  which  men  were  made,  but  he  should  wish  rather 
to  have  a  full  and  correct  account  of  that  great  conflict 
given  to  the  present  and  the  future  generations. 

The  majority  of  the  survivors  of  the  Confederate  armies 
do  not  believe  that  they  ought  to  forget  or  erase  from 
their  minds  all  memory  of  the  battles  of  Sharpsburg  or 
Antietam,  of  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  of  Gettysburg, 
or  of  Chickamauga  and  Shiloh.  I  am  at  a  loss  to  com- 
prehend from  what  basis  these  tender-nerved  Confed- 
erates reason,  and  I  reflect  that  fortunately  there  exists 
but  a  few  such  among  those  who  "wore  the  gray.'' 

In  the  days  by-gone  there  lived  in  Richmond  a  promi- 


96 

nent  dealer  in  horses  and  mules  by  the  name  of  Benjamin 
Green,  whose  early  career  began  as  a  contractor,  having 
built  the  bridge  over  the  James  River  for  the  railroad 
to  Petersburg.  His  establishment  was  the  largest  entre- 
prise  in  the  livestock  line  in  Virginia.  It  was  generally 
conceded  that  any  one  who  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  have 
a  transaction  with  him  was  certain  to  be  worsted,  or  at 
least  to  get  the  small  end  of  the  trade.  His  intercourse 
with  the  farmers  was  very  extensive  and  it  was  said  that 
any  man  who  purchased  an  animal  and  threw  himself  upon 
Green's  honor  in  the  transaction,  never  failed  to  obtain 
a  fair,  square  deal.  In  the  other  hand,  if  the  purchaser 
relied  upon  his  own  judgment  of  an  animal  he  was  very 
apt  to  get  the  worst  of  the  bargain.  Ben  Green  was  a 
smooth  talker  and  a  keen,  first-class  salesman.  His  resi- 
dence was  a  beautiful  place  about  two  or  three  miles  west 
of  the  city  on  the  Broad  Street  Road,  where  he  enter- 
tained his  guests  in  a  sumptuous  manner,  and  was  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  in  the  State. 

Colonel  Richard  Adams  was  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Richmond  and  was  at  one  time  appointed  high  sheriff  of 
Henrico  county.  At  that  time  the  office  was  one  of 
dignity  and  emolument,  and  it  was  one  that  was 
frequently  sublet  to  a  second  party,  and  such  was  the 
case  with  Colonel  Adams.  He  then  boarded  at  the  old 
Exchange  Hotel  when  it  was  kept  by  Colonel  Boykin, 
he  was  a  widower,  being  left  with  three  children  at 
his  wife's  death.  One  of  the  latter  was  Mary  Adams, 
who  married  General  George  Randolph ;  another  one, 
Catherine  Adams,  who  died  while  attending  the  school 
conducted  by  Mr.  Le  Febre,  and  a  son  by  the  name  of 
Samuel  Adams,  comprised  his  family.  He  was  a  life-long 
friend  of  my  father  and  his  family  and  was  a  regular 


97 

visitor  of  the  same.  He  was  a  great  epicure  and  if  any- 
one knew  what  was  good  in  the  way  of  living  and  the 
proper  way  to  cook  a  choice  cut  of  meat,  he  was  that 
man.  When  we  lived  in  the  country  he  often  came  out, 
and  would  always  forestall  his  coming  by  sending  us  a 
nice  leg  of  mutton  or  lamb,  a  nice  tenderloin  of  beef,  a 
roast  of  beef  or  a  fine  piece  of  sturgeon.  My  mother, 
who  was  noted  for  her  good  housekeeping,  always 
directed  the  cooking  of  the  particular  dish  which  he  sent 
out  to  us.  When  it  was  placed  upon  the  table,  hot  and 
juicy,  the  old  gentleman  would  exclaim  that,  "It  is  cooked 
and  served  up  to  a  dot,  it  could  not  be  improved." 

Colonel  Adams  was  not  what  is  known  as  a  gouruiond, 
but  a  high-toned  Virginian  gentleman,  who  preferred  the 
best  meats  to  be  obtained  in  the  markets,  and  prepared  for 
the  table  in  a  manner  that  would  cause  the  smiles  and  ap- 
proval of  epicures.  One  day  he  was  dining  with  a  friend 
whose  custom  was  to  invite  his  guest  to  join  him  in  a 
toddy  before  the  dinner  was  announced.  Well,  as  the 
gentlemen  were  standing  in  front  of  the  sideboard,  their 
drinks  were  made  of  fine  old  Clemmer  Whiskey,  five  years 
old,  oily  and  fragrant.     Holding  their   glasses  in  their 

hands,  Mr.  J commenced  to  tell  an  anecdote,  but 

the  suspense  becoming  too  great,  the  Colonel  appealed  to 
him  to  jump  over  the  bars,  and  not  wait  to  pull  them  down, 
in  other  words  to  razee  his  story  so  as  to  proceed  with 
their  drinking,  which  would  serve  to  whet  their  appetites 
for  the  good  dinner  awaiting  their  presence. 

The  First  Baptist  Church,  which  is  situated  on  the 
corner  of  Broad  and  Twelfth  Streets,  is  one  of  the  oldest 
ones  in  the  City  of  Richmond.  It  stands  on  the  same 
ground  it  was  built  on  nearly  a  century  ago.  Its  pulpit 
has  been  occupied  by  the  most  distinguished  divines  in 


98 

the  Baptist  denomination,  such,  for  instance,  as  Doctor 
Broaddus,  whose  reputation  as  a  pulpit  orator  has  rarely, 
if  ever,  been  excelled,  Doctor  Lansing  Burrows,  who  was 
its  pastor  during  the  great  war  of  1861  to  1865  and  after 
the  same  Doctor  Cooper,  whose  ministration  as  its  pastor 
is  held  in  kindest  reverence  and  esteem  by  all  who  were 
fortunate  enough  to  be  under  his  pastorate  charge. 

This  congregation  is  now  served  by  one  of  the  most 
gifted  clergymen  in  the  church  to  which  he  belongs,  but 
also  one  of  the  most  eloquent  pulpit  orators  in  the  South, 
namely,  Doctor  G.  W.  McDaniel.  Were  all  the  reminis- 
cences of  this  sacred  and  strong  edifice  written  up  in  full 
it  would  fill  a  volume. 

A  prominent  representative  of  the  female  element  of 
Richmond  society  previous  to  the  war  was  Mrs.  Cora 
Ritchie  Mowatt,  a  leader  in  the  best  social  circles.  She 
was  formerly  an  actress  of  distinction  and  of  excellent 
reputation.  She  had  considerable  literary  ability  and  had 
written  a  history  of  her  life  as  an  actress,  entitled  "An 
Autobiography  of  An  Actress."  She  afterwards  married 
William  F.  Ritchie,  the  editor  of  The  Enquirer,  the  organ 
of  the  Democratic  party  of  the  State  of  Virginia.  This 
talented  and  popular  lady  was  truly  a  "beacon  light"  of 
the  social  and  fashionable  society  of  the  time. 

A  GLEANING  OF  HISTORY. 

After  the  war  the  present  or  junior  company  of  Rich- 
mond Howitzers  was  organized  or  formed.  It  is  well 
officered,  Captain  Myers  being  its  commander,  Lieutenant 
Pollard,  first  lieutenant,  and  Lieutenant  Reese,  second 
lieutenant.  Its  commanders  are  young  men  of  the  first 
character  and  material.  The  corps  de  esprit  of  the  com- 
pany is  the  highest  order.    It  has  the  advantage  over  the 


99 
old  company,  in  as  much  as  its  battery  and  equipment  is 
of  the  very  latest  or  advanced  excellence  of  modern  ordi- 
nance. It  is  an  ornament  to  the  military  organization  of 
the  State  and  city,  and  no  doubt  may  be  entertained  that 
whenever  an  opportunity  is  offered  it  will  sustain  the 
prestige  of  the  old  company.  I  do  not  intend  to  say  that 
the  1st,  2d  and  3d  companies  of  Howitzers  were  superior 
to  other  artillery  companies  in  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia,  yet  I  do  say  that  they  were  never  placed  in 
position  in  any  line  of  battle  that  they  did  not  hold  it 
until  ordered  out.  The  young  company  is  composed  of 
the  same  kind  of  material,  hence  it  may  be  safely  asserted 
that  the  junior  organization  will  perpetuate  the  name  and 
prestige  of  the  old  company.  At  the  reunion  of  the  How- 
itzers Association,  on  the  13th  of  December,  the  junior 
company  are  always  welcomed  guests. 

From  1861  to  1862  the  army  of  the  Confederacy  was  un- 
der the  control  of  the  several  States  composing  the  Con- 
federacy on  the  peninsula.  A  reorganization  of  the  army 
occurred  and  the  troops  of  the  separate  States  were  turned 
over  to  the  Confederate  government  and  enlisted  for  the 
war.  New  officers  were  elected  and  an  entire  change  made 
in  reforming  the  Confederate  Army.  The  name  was  then 
changed  from  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia. 

One  of  the  most  unique  men  Virginia  ever  produced  was 
Captain  George  Randolph,  who  was  Secretary  of  War  of 
the  Confederate  States.  He  organized  the  First  Company 
of  Richmond  Howitzers;  he  had  been  in  some  way  con- 
nected with  the  United  States  Navy  and  he  conceived 
the  idea  of  equipping  the  company  with  boat  Howitzers 
with  a  long  trail  attached  to  the  piece  and  drawn  by  the 
cannoneers.     This  plan  was  abandoned   and  the   pieces 


100 
were  mounted  on  light  carriages  and  drawn  by  two  horses. 
Captain  Randolph  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson and  a  man  of  striking  personality;  in  physique  he 
was  tall  and  slender,  with  high  cheek  bones,  with  an  eye 
as  clear  seeing  as  an  eagle.  In  social  intercourse  he  was 
rather  reticent,  though  true  as  steel;  he  was  a  Democrat 
and  ardent  advocate  of  the  rights  of  the  South.  At  this 
time  no  Democrat  received  any  political  preferment  in 
Richmond,  yet  when  they  were  casting  around  for  the 
ablest  and  best  men  to  send  to  the  Secession  Con- 
vention party  lines  were  ignored  and  he  was  elected  a 
member,  and  a  wise  choice  it  was.  His  speeches  and  de- 
bates were  among  the  ablest,  emenating  from  that  group 
of  forensic  and  intellectual  giants.  Upon  the  secession  of 
Virginia  he  donned  his  artillery  uniform  and  concentrated 
all  his  force  and  energy  in  organizing  the  Howitzers 
Battalion  consisting  of  the  first,  second  and  third  com- 
panies. He  was  made  Major.  John  C.  Shields,  captain 
1st  Company ;  J.  Thompson  Brown,  captain  2d  Company ; 
Robert  Standard,  captain  3d  Company.  Major  Randolph, 
with  second  and  third  companies  was  sent  to  the  penin- 
sula under  General  McGruder.  The  first  company  was 
sent  to  Manasas  under  General  Beauregard,  thus  forming 
a  part  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac. 

After  the  lapse  of  time  Mr.  Davis  realizing  the  brilliant 
qualities  of  Major  Randolph,  appointed  him  Secretary  of 
War.  Yet  the  ailment  that  he  had  long  suffered  with 
caused  him  to  resign  and  in  quest  of  alleviation  of  his  suf- 
fering he  took  passage  on  a  blockade  runner  and  died 
abroad.  Mr.  Seddon  succeeded  him  as  Secretar}^  of  "War 
of  the  Confederate  States.  General  Randolph's  name  is 
held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  admire  a  high  type  of  man- 
hood and  knightly  bearing. 


101 

Captain  Meriweather  Lewis  Anderson  was  mustered  into 
the  service  of  the  State  of  Virginia  at  the  commencement 
of  the  Confederate  War  as  orderly  sergeant  of  the  First 
Company  of  Richmond  Howitzers.  Subsequently  he  was 
elected  lieutenant  when  Captain  E.  S.  McCarthy  was 
killed  at  second  Cold  Harbor.  He,  by  seniority  of  rank, 
became  captain  of  the  company.  No  braver  officer  ever 
buckled  sabor  around  his  waist  than  this  gallant  Confed- 
erate soldier.  He  was  with  the  company  in  nearly  every 
battle  it  engaged  or  participated  in. 

The  record  that  Captain  Anderson  left  is  bright  as  the 
finest  damascus  blade.  He  has  passed  to  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  and  may  his  memory  be  cherished  by  all  who 
honor  indomrjitable  courage  and  devotion  to  the  lost 
cause. 

During  the  war  my  company,  the  First  Howitzers  Camp, 
was  surrounded  by  infantry  regiments ;  it  was  in  the  fall 
of  the  year  hostilities  had  ceased,  so  a  couple  of  cannoneers 
and  myself  took  a  walk  for  recreation  and  to  see  what 
was  going  on.  We  came  to  an  infantry  regiment  going 
through  dress  parade.  It  was  a  novel  sight.  The  colonel 
had  an  old  cavalry  sword  attached  to  a  cirsingle  thrown 
over  his  shoulders.  The  officers  wore  similar  side  arms. 
The  adjutant  used  a  ram-rod  for  a  sword;  he  formed  the 
regiment  and  presented  it  to  the  colonel.  The  company 
officers  marched  forward  and  gave  the  customary  salute 
when  the  colonel  put  the  regiment  through  a  few  evolu- 
tions and  disbanded.  It  was  one  of  the  best  fighting  regi- 
ments in  the  army,  yet  paid  little  attention  to  the  formula 
of  show  on  dress  parade,  but  when  charging  the  enemy 
or  holding  their  position  in  line  of  battle  they  were  all 
right. 


